


The House Wins

by FreakHour



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Allusions to The Haunting of Hill House and the song The House Wins, Derek and Stiles should be BFFs, Gen, I'm in love with the Hale House, Mostly this is an idea I couldn't shake, friendshipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-06
Updated: 2013-02-12
Packaged: 2017-11-23 20:17:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 34,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/626116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreakHour/pseuds/FreakHour
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hale house, not sane, waited quietly in the woods of Beacon Hills. Its walls, as broken as itself, had faded like everything around it to a dim monochrome of what it once was. The darkness within stained everything, sucking out the color, draining it, killing it… Somehow even in silence it seemed to shudder, to wail. Around it, barren trees reached up to the sky like claws to scratch the light from the sky.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So hi, first fic ever posted to the internet. Words and I aren't as good of friends since I am more used to writing for comics than reading word stories. Sorry this note is stupid. I own none of this. I'm influenced heavily by The Haunting of Hill House and the OKgo song The House Wins.
> 
> I regret nothing.
> 
> Please forgive odd Grammar, non-character behavior, poor formatting, and one or two original characters added out of necessity since I couldn't force actual characters into that role.
> 
> And I hope you enjoy!

Hale house, not sane, waited quietly in the woods of Beacon Hills. Its walls, as broken as itself, had faded like everything around it to a dim monochrome of what it once was. The darkness within stained everything, sucking out the color, draining it, killing it… Somehow even in silence it seemed to shudder, to wail. Around it, barren trees reached up to the sky like claws to scratch the light from the sky.

\+ + +

Stiles yawned and stretched, feeling stiff but glad he had made it to spring break. Sure it wasn't the wild time others had planned. It wasn't much of anything for him – always the odd man out, but long nights that meant he could sleep in all day while his dad was out. Except they did have a trip planned… He wasn't great at fishing but he could manage not to stick a hook in his finger most of the time. Stiles looked out the window, enjoying his lounging time on the couch, trying to work up the will to go put in another movie… Maybe a classic… It had started to rain and the gloomy weather made him feel like something in black and white. It might be saying something that he didn't even notice the figure in the rain at first. Was he really so used to Derek creeping around his house, staring, that he could just look at someone watching him through a window and not think it was weird? He would have laughed about it but… It wasn't Derek standing outside. As he realized that and whipped his head back around it was gone. “I’m going nutty… Seeing things! Maybe I should get outside, go talk to people. Stop keeping to myself. But I’m talking to myself now… Crap.” Stiles rubbed his face and got up. A shower, clothes… And maybe go get his Dad something healthy for lunch. Yeah that was a great plan actually! He could swear he smelled grease on his Dad’s uniform last night. “You sir are clever!” He congratulated himself and then smacking his forehead to stop talking to himself, Stiles heads upstairs to get ready.

Stiles put the figure in the rain out of his mind as he drove across town to the Sheriff Station. It felt odd still, pulling up to the front and going inside, not seeing the usual familiar faces. Everyone feels so new. The floors were all new too… Everything still smelled a little of the professional cleaning it got. He didn’t want to think about it most days, or the faces he knew so well that just aren’t there anymore. He checked in at the front and ghosted back to his Dad’s office, knocking on the door and peeking in, “Hey…. Lunch?”

Sheriff Stilinski looked up from sorting paperwork into his own special system: Crap, Jesus, Why God, and Rush. He liked to think he at least got the Rush ones done quickly enough. “Stiles.” He grinned, looking like a drowning man seeing a life preserver. “Lunch sounds great actually. I gotta say I am shocked to see you outside. I thought you said Spring Break was for working on your pale?”

“Haha Dad,” Stiles rolled his eyes, “You ought to know I love to see you.”

“Love to see me watch you eat all my curly fries in front of me you mean.”

Stiles huffs a laugh but… He doesn't deny it. “So lunch? I suddenly went stir crazy back at the house. And if I was stir crazy there, I thought maybe you…” Stiles shrugs and smiles a little at his Dad.

“Stir crazy? You? How can you tell the difference from your normal crazy?” The Sheriff grins, standing and pulling on his coat.

“You must be starving, but take it from me, sarcasm is not very filling.” Stiles chuckles.

The Sheriff clasps Stiles’ shoulder and walks out with him, letting everyone know where he is going as he marches his son across the street to the small café where they would both have to eat healthy. Stiles relaxes around his dad, he hadn’t realized he’d been so tense until he was with him, shoving his hands in his pockets and leaning over to sniff at his dad – you know, just in case hanging out with werewolves all the time had finally rubbed off. He thinks he smells bacon on his dad but he can’t be sure. Maybe he’s hallucinating everything today.

“You just sniffed me kid, did you remember your meds today?” The Sheriff grins, opening the door for them both.

“God Dad I’m medicated just enough ok? And I was just checking. Did you eat bacon today? Don’t lie to me. I’ll be able to tell!” Stiles says, picking a table by the windows and looking at the menu. The Sheriff sits, rolling his eyes, “If I had bacon this morning you would have smelled it all over the house because I would have had a bacon celebration. I miss bacon. I miss it more than I miss you.”

Stiles snorts, “I definitely would have smelled your bacon-fest. And you could have stopped somewhere… I am sure you’ve caught enough criminals to know how to be one!”

The Sheriff smacks him with the menu and Stiles laughs. Coming out had been the right thing to do. The waitress brings them waters and asks for their order, Stiles forcing a salad on his dad and a sandwich for himself. The Sheriff starts to complain about why he can’t have a salad when Stiles sees that figure again, right outside the café.

“Oh god!” Stiles says, jerking his head back. It was closer than it had been at the house. Thank god it was a person! Or so he thinks… getting an impression of raggedness and frailty before his Dad catches his attention asking him what’s wrong, looking out the window himself.

“It’s gone.” Stiles says, looking back and seeing nothing but people fast walking through the drizzle and the regular traffic.

“What’s gone?” Sheriff Stilinski asks, giving a good look outside and wondering what Stiles saw.

“The person who was loitering outside of the house, they were right there again… I think they were…” Stiles mutters.

“What?” The Sheriff says sharply, making Stiles jump. Crap… Had he said that out loud? A look at his father says he had.

Stiles spends the rest of lunch trying to convince his dad that he hasn’t rotted his brain out over the past 3 days of spring break watching nothing but horror movies.

\+ + +

After lunch, Stiles heads back to the jeep, climbing inside and not exactly feeling like going home. By the time he really recognizes where he’s ended up on autopilot he’s looking up at the wrecked exterior of the Hale House, soggy and in disrepair in the spring drizzle. He parks but doesn’t get out, rubbing the condensation on the window with his sleeve to get a better look up at the house, maybe someone was about? The squeak of his efforts makes him smile as he leans to look out and is not expecting the scowl that fills the hole he made. Screaming he tries to run, which doesn’t really work out in the driver’s side of the jeep. Instead he flails and rolls down his window furiously, “JESUS CHRIST DEREK CAN’T YOU BE NORMAL??” He shouts, his heart hammering wildly in his chest.

“I am normal.” Derek shrugs.

“Normal for your average creeper maybe.” Stiles mutters.

“Scott’s not here.” Derek says.

“What?” Stiles asks intelligently. “I’m not here for Scott, he’s at home licking his wounds over the ass kicking he got last night.”  


“Who were you two fighting!?” Derek asks, grabbing the shoulder of Stiles’ hoodie and half yanking him through the window, “Argent?”  


“Oh god!” Stiles says, slapping at Derek’s hand to get him to let go. “No! God!! In a GAME. God what is wrong with you!? It was on Xbox.”  


Derek lets him go, Stiles feeling like he was thrown more than dropped. “You’re always assuming everyone knows the rest of the conversation you are having with yourself in your head idiot.” Derek huffs.  


Stiles scowls, “Look. It’s not my fault you live out here in BFE with no electricity and eat squirrels and their acorn hordes.”  


Derek’s eyebrows amazingly scowl MORE, making a deep black V like Bert from Sesame Street as he looms at Stiles who, to his credit, doesn’t shrink away from him but returns the glare despite feeling a little bad for dissing him on his house.  


They might stay that way a while if not for Peter stepping out of the house onto the porch, attracted to the disturbance like a shark. Feeling the emotional fireworks and being drawn to them. Not for the first time Stiles shudders seeing him, his insides always feel cold and squirrely when Peter is around. Derek stares at him then glances back at Peter. He could smell the cold wash of terror over Stiles but there’s nothing to instill that much fear. Not from Peter. He didn’t exactly trust his uncle anymore… But somehow he felt like he wasn’t going to savagely attack anyone anymore.  


“I… I’ve gotta go.” Stiles says nervously.  


“Whatever.” Derek replies, honestly confused. What the hell had Stiles come out here for anyway?? “Is… Are you ok Stiles?” He asks.  


Stiles turns a bit red, “Yeah. Weird day I guess.”  


“You are weird.” Derek says sincerely and makes Stiles scowl.  


“I like you better monosyllabic.” Stiles snaps and reverses away from the house, driving away and leaving Derek to stand in the damp, well and truly baffled about what just happened. He looks back at Peter and he just shrugs subtly and goes back into the house.

\+ + +

Stiles retreats to home. Scott should be up by now. He has to be. It is almost 3pm and even at his laziest he never slept in that late. He calls his cell and no answer. “Damnit Scott!” Stiles gripes into his voicemail, “Why do you even have a cellphone when you never answer it!” He tosses his phone down and pulls over, sighing. Without his usual distractions the odd feeling he’d been having for the past few months starts to creep in. It’s been quiet in Beacon Hills, that must be what’s wrong with him. He’s gotten too used to the mania of monsters and running for his life. He can’t be normal anymore – not that he ever was before but… All this normalcy is clearly eroding his mind. He starts the jeep and heads for home, not expecting as he turns down his street to see his dad’s cruiser parked half up on the curb, lights on. He speeds up, worried. What was going on?? He tumbles out of the jeep, “Dad??”  


He rushes to the open front door, his dad pinning that ragged frail person he had seen twice today to the floor and cuffing them. “Dad!!!” He squeaks.  


“Stiles!” The Sheriff says, “Get back! I caught an intruder.”  


“How? Are you psychic? That would be so awesome Dad if you are psychic!” Stiles says gleefully then thinks about it. “No wait that would be terrible, don’t be psychic Dad! My god so is it a thief? My Xbox!”  


“They didn’t steal anything – yet.” His dad says, lifting the thief to her feet.  


Her feet… Stiles realizes. The intruder was a little taller than him, what the hell that is stupidly tall for a girl… woman. My god she’s his Dad’s age! Who does this shit as an old person? Sorry Dad… She’s dirty, ragged looking from head to toe. A scarf hood combo he instantly covets hanging off her neck to reveal thin, flyaway hair and a pinched thin face. Distantly Stiles thinks this must be how his friends all see him now, the fragile human running with wolves. It helps him not pity her.  


Even his dad is doing his best to not manhandle her too roughly, pushing her out through the door even though he could have probably lifted her with one hand. Even the cuffs on her wrists have a lot of room, like cuffing a child despite her long gloves. She looks at Stiles, and her expression is – pained? Did he see that right? He has to admit it makes his spine feel weird, the stare she gives him, like she’s looking at a ghost.  


The Sheriff pushes her into the back of the squad car, closing the door and walking to Stiles, gripping his shoulders, “I came home to check on you because you seemed so strange at lunch. I saw her walking around the house and I’m so glad you weren’t home…”  


Stiles is great at hearing all the subtext he swears his dad will never bring up. He hugs him tight, “I’m ok Dad; you’re awesome busting in here and nabbing her before she could make off with my stuff.”  


His dad laughs and pats his back, “I may have to rethink my response time – you’d do better with less Xbox.”  


Stiles gasps, “Bite your tongue!”  


His dad chuckles, “Stay inside ok? Lock up extra good and I’ll be home early…”  


Stiles nods, watching his dad leave and trying not to think about the look the woman gave him.

\+ + +

Stiles manages to almost forget about it by the time he is going to bed. Dinner with his dad and another winning round of Call of Duty on the Xbox with a contrite Scott definitely helped him to forget the woes of his day. He closed his bedroom door behind him and turning starts to scream as he jumps back away from the lurking form waiting for him. Derek slapping his hand over Stiles’ mouth and muffling his scream. Derek keeps him pinned to the door while he flails out his terror, only letting him up when he is reduced to gasps that are making his hand wet.  


“CAN YOU NEVER USE A DOOR??” Stiles hisses, holding his heart. Jesus thank god he ate as good as his dad (mostly) or he’d find out if he had heart issues with Derek the CREEPING CREEPER always turning up right in front of him unexpectedly.  


“Are you ok?” Derek is asking him when the sound of his heartbeat recedes.  


“Am I what? NO! You scared the living hell out of me Derek!” Stiles pushes Derek back and resist the urge to flail more when Derek makes himself comfortable in his chair. “But thanks for your concern.” Stiles snaps, oozing discontent. He hoped discontent smells as bad as it feels, trying to ooze it more at Derek.  


“Of course I’m concerned idiot. What did you do with the witch?” Derek says rolling his eyes.  


“What.” Stiles says numbly.  


“A witch has been in your house. All around your house actually…” Derek says seriously. “Stiles, you can’t handle a witch. What did you do to attract the attention of one?”  


“NOTHING!” Stiles protests, “I haven’t done anything! I have been enjoying my staycation.”  


“You had to do something.” Derek insists.  


“Look unless this witch has been running around Call of Duty I haven’t done anything to annoy anyone!” Stiles slumps onto his bed.  


“I find that hard to believe Stiles, you’re a master of annoying people.” Derek says.  


“You ought to know. We should start a guild or something with how much you annoy me!” Stiles kicks himself internally, “I didn’t mean that... I didn’t… But… I’m freaking out a little? There was this weird woman outside before… And Dad caught her in the house. She’s arrested now. Down at the station.”  


“Idiot! That was the witch! You need to tell us these things.” Derek says seriously, “Even if you tell Scott.”  


Stiles snorts, right, tell Scott. He can’t even answer his phone half the time. “It slipped my mind when I talked to Scott.”  


Derek is already standing up. “Where are you going?” Stiles asks.  


“I want to have a look at her.” Derek shrugs.  


“You can’t waltz into the Sheriff Station, Derek.” Stiles insists.  


Derek just grins, “Why not? I have before.” He hops out the window and Stiles closes and locks it behind him.

\+ + +

To Stiles’ relief there is no frantic call to his Dad that night to report the sudden inexplicable break in by the town criminal Derek Hale. Stiles won’t believe Derek snuck in or talked his way in. Instead he is betting Derek just went home. Good. But with what Derek said… Now his curiosity was eating away at him. What had she wanted, what had anyone ever wanted with him?? He was the Robin here to everyone’s Batman but – a witch. Was this all because he was a virgin? Was that witches or Aztecs? Wait didn’t you have to bathe in the blood of a virgin to stay young? A nice Stiles Blood Bath would definitely work better than botox. Ew… Was he really imagining a marketing campaign for people to rub his blood all over their faces?? But what else could she want…? It was eating him alive to know. And she had looked so frail he couldn’t even think of being afraid of her; which is how he ended up at the station to “visit” his dad only to go right back and peek around the corner into the cells.  


His impression of her thin frame and age was correct he saw, she sat on the floor of the cell, hands clasped atop her knees as she dozed, her eyes sunken and offset by dark circles. She looked half starved and dirty but there was an empty plate next to her. At least she was being fed. He crept closer, nervous that someone would come in to get those plates and find him loitering here. He looked at the hooded scarf again and feels a swell of coveting it overtake him again, especially now that he can make out the folksy embroidery. “Pssst. Hey.” He hisses. “Hey witch.”  


A slow eyelid lift is his only response from her, followed by an arched eyebrow.  


“I know you’re a witch.” Stiles whispers, “You keep away from our house! You stay away from my dad and me or you’ll regret it! I know people! I know…”  


“Werewolves? I could tell.” She whispered back. “Witch hmm, Stiles? Could you tell what I am by yourself or was it one of them?”  


Stiles steps back around the corner, freaking out a little that she knows his name. “You don’t scare me.” He says, hissing around the corner even though he is terrified. How did she know his NAME?!!?  


“I’m glad. I’m not trying to scare you.” She replied. “I just wanted to have a look while I’m here.”  


Stiles mulls that over, but then anyone intending to do you harm never outright menaces you – this isn’t a comic book after all. Stiles is so busy processing he is missing what she is still saying.  


“-being a spark. So have you?” She says.  


“Have I what…?” Stiles asks.  


“So have you felt anything weird around here?” She sounds too tired to be annoyed.  


“Everything around here is weird! Werewolves, resurrected uncles, kanimas, you name it it’s here!” Stiles says.  


“…. Wait. There were always werewolves but… Then it’s been really active here? Weird things? Strange occurrences?” The witch presses, sitting up and moving to the bars.  


“I’m gonna go.” Stiles says, this conversation not satisfying his curiosity so much as scaring it out of him. He pivots on his heel and hurries back, peeking in his Dad’s office and leaving since he isn’t in. He makes it all the way to his car before running into Derek and flailing in shock as he is slammed back against his jeep. Again.  


“AGAIN??” He shouts and sags, giving up. This is just his life now.  


“What do you think you’re doing?” Derek asks, hands fisted in Stiles’ shirt.  


“Worrying about my spinal health! Jesus what is it with you and this over the top West Side Story crap?” Stiles says, trying to shove Derek’s hands off him and yeah… It’s ineffectual. “Do you want to get arrested again? We’re in front of the Sheriff Station!”  


Derek lets him go and frowns, “What were you doing in there? Your dad isn’t in there.”  


“How do you know where my dad is?” Stiles asks surprised. “Is that like some werewolf super power? Can Scott learn it?”  


Derek frowns more, “Stiles, I have the power of VISION. I saw your dad leave earlier. “  


Stiles starts to smirk a little, “You couldn’t get in could you…. Mister super Alpha couldn’t get in past a few nice cops. Awwwwaauuughhhhh!”  


His teasing Awww turned into a gagging reflex of terror when Derek shoved him hard back into the jeep. “You need to keep away from that witch Stiles. You shouldn’t’ve gone in there.”  


“I just wanted…. I was trying to help!” Stiles starts, feeling shocked Derek sounds almost worried.  


“You just wanted to get in trouble again. In case you haven’t noticed when you start problems, I’m always having to clean up after you.” Derek snaps.  


“Clean up after!!!” Stiles huffs. “You have never!”  


Derek levels his best patronizing glare on Stiles making him vibrate with indignation.  


“I don’t need your help with his ok? Obviously my dad already has it handled. And she’s like this frail middle aged lady.” Stiles waves a hand. Who knew his name. Oh god. He doesn’t let his panic show even as it spikes through his stomach. After all who the hell does Derek think he is?? Showing up and bossing him around, only his dad can boss him around – sometimes.  


Derek throws up his hands, “It’s always the same shit with you and Scott. Fine. Make me out to be the bad guy – I don’t care. But keep your stupid ass away from the witch! When she gets out I’ll be the one to deal with her.”  


Derek pivots on his heel and strides back to his car, slamming the door. Stiles flails a bit in righteous anger, “YOU’RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME DEREK HALE!” He shouts then regrets it. “Not the boss of me? What the hell is wrong with me. That Jackass.” Stiles gets into his jeep, slamming the door behind him.

\+ + +

Derek curled up on the mattress tucked into one of the more whole rooms and sighed. It bothered him that whenever he tried to talk to Stiles they ended up yelling. Ok not bothered exactly because… He did kind of enjoy it. It was nice to feel he could not like someone and be not liked back but not hate each other. He didn’t hate Stiles at all. He was almost hyper aware of him. He had been ever since the idiot kid had slipped into the front of the cruiser as he was being arrested. Acting the part of the hero, declaring he wasn’t afraid when it was all over him he was. Stiles is still a little afraid of him, but Derek can’t fault him that – he should be! He sighs, if anything happened to that idiot… Well then he would have to rely on Peter to research things and really, Peter should feel less and less trustworthy every day. Now that he thinks about it, it is strange he feels more accepting of Peter. He’d been so furious to see him at first but now…  


Derek doesn’t complete the thought, suddenly exhausted and falling asleep in the middle of the day. He won’t think twice about it when he wakes up later that evening but he’ll be glad to see Peter.

\+ + +

The Sheriff has no idea what to make of his prisoner. He walks past the cells several times when he is in the office, enough that his deputies are betting how many passes he will make before he leaves for a patrol or to do paperwork. Bets are placed, money changes hands, and the Sheriff still doesn’t know what to make of her. Finally he just goes in and sits, staring at her and she stares back a little too calmly. When he goes home that night he sits on the couch with Stiles watching some spy show that Stiles had suddenly got into and trying not to worry when Stiles sat there taking notes.  


“So, the break in.” Stiles says, “Pretty weird huh?”  


“A bit. Not many people want to break into the Sheriff’s house.” Stilinski points out.  


Stiles snorts, “Well we do have guns.”  


“A gun, and it was with me.” Stilinski grins. “There was no sign of a forced entry either. No marks on the lock that it had been picked. It is very strange.”  


“Yeah….” Stiles says and stands, “I’m going to bed ok? You should go sleep too.”  


“Are you feeling ok?” Stilinski asks his son, grasping his sleeve and looking at him. “You never go to bed before 1am!”  


“Yeah I’m ok Dad. It’s just been a long day.”  


Stilinski nods, letting his son go and relaxing on the couch, where he falls asleep.

\+ + +

Stiles wakes up the next day, face down in his keyboard and cotton mouthed. Overhead he can hear why he woke up, rain falling hard on the roof with the distant sound of thunder. He stretches and rubs his face, reading again the few notes he’s taken while researching witches. Everything on the internet was not definitive. It irked him. He liked to know answers but some witches can cross moving water, others can’t. There’s a lot of guessing involved, Stiles hates guessing. He prefers a nice clean answer.  


Cocking his head to listen to the rain a while longer, Stiles crawls into bed and is about to relax when it hits him again. She knew his name. Curious, he gets up and gets dressed. It can’t hurt to talk to her one more time. Right?  


“Right!” He answers himself and gets to getting dressed. “Because this is not crazy at all. If she is after me it’s because I’m the low fence for the Wolf Pack compound…” He hurts himself with his own words sometimes.

\+ + +

It’s always remarkable to Stiles how much trouble he can get into because people let him. He’d easily walked right back to the cells, the new people were getting used to him. Stiles leans to peek around the corner, it’s like she hasn’t moved. Different dishes though and a meal fully eaten but that same feeling of frailty clings to her.  


“Back again?” Came the soft, almost tender… whispering of the witch. Of course to Stiles it was a little creepy… Like in horror movies when they’re walking into a tragically haunted house.  


“You didn’t answer any questions.” Stiles says, leaning against the wall in a way he hopes is casual.  


“Questions aren’t something I am into.” The witch supplies with a grin.  


“You seemed nicer yesterday and a lot less enigmatic.” Stiles says dryly.  


“I’ve had three more meals since then. I am feeling downright contrary now.” The witch grins.  


“Wha-“ Stiles starts to retort when he catches some movement from the corner of his eye, glancing over he sees his dad leaning there staring at him with his best, what the hell are you doing, Stiles? expression. “Hey Dad.” Stiles says then whips his head back to look at his dad. “Oh crap.”  


“Right. What are you doing here Stiles?” Stilinski asks, a smirk dancing about his face. “Last time I checked you weren’t on the payroll?”  


“I was…..” Stiles begins, trying to quickly come up with something plausible.  


“Leaving?” His Dad fills in for him.  


“Right. Thank you.” Stiles agrees and runs for it. He ignores the soft laughter coming from the cell area.  


He’s not lucky enough to totally escape. His dad follows him right outside and points at him. “Stiles, I don’t know what has gotten into you but go home. Go home and stay there. Lock the doors. You’re driving me crazy turning up everywhere! Do you want me to lose my job again?”  


Stiles winces, “No… Dad…” It had almost killed him to have been the reason his dad was fired once but if he did it a second time. Ok, he’ll focus himself somewhere else.  


Stilinski grips Stiles’ shoulder, “I know this break isn’t what you’d planned….”  


The preamble of understanding if anything, makes Stiles feel worse. Scott and Allison where back to their on again off again thing, sure. Everyone had somewhere to be but him but… Ok sure he was just chasing after a world that seems to just take over his whole life then dump him cold. Stiles sighs and smiles sheepishly.  


“Dad. It’s fine. I am fine.” Stiles says with a shrug. He could man up. He is great at manning up.  


The Sheriff squeezes his shoulder again, “How about pizza tonight? We can watch a whole season of SG1?”  


That does bring out a genuine smile on Stiles’ face. “You’re on. See you later Dad. Be safe.”  


The Sheriff shakes his head as Stiles goes and hops into his jeep, driving off. Stilinski walks back into the station and decides to bypass the paperwork for a while, going back to look at the one prisoner they had currently. The woman was definitely a vagrant. From her completely worn out shoes to the filthy scarf thing around her neck she was skin and bones. Which was why he was still holding her – so she would get to eat. But of course he’d never admit that.  


“I’m sorry I scared you. And… went in your house.” She says, surprising him. He had been surprised when she was chatting to Stiles so easily. When they had booked her it was worse than with Derek Hale. She had clammed up totally and all they had got was a name of Non.  


“Non right?” Stilinski says and gets a nod. “Feel up to telling me why you broke into my house?”  


“I didn’t break in. Nothing was broken… Well almost my arm…” A slow smile, “But I can’t blame you.” Non replies.  


“You did break in.” Stilinski says.  


“No, I walked in. Your kid didn’t lock the door. And… I was hungry.” Non spreads her hands a little as if to say, and there you go.  


Stilinski snorts. “Locked or unlocked it was wrong.”  


Non nods. “Yes.”  


Stilinski looks pained, “Look. You’re only here because I was going to press charges… But there’s a shelter you could go to. They can help get you back on your feet.”  


“Are you letting me go then?” Non asks, her head tilting to the side as she looks up at him. It’s a bit uncanny feeling Stilinski thinks, looking down at her. Something felt so familiar, like he should just trust and give in.  


He looked at her dark eyes and nods, “Yeah. I’m letting you go. But if you are caught in any house at any time….” He leaves the threat hanging.  


Non smiles one of those slow smiles, “I follow. Don’t worry. I have learned this particular lesson.”  


Stilinski nods, going to actually do the paperwork to process her out, dropping the charges and getting her a ride with a deputy to the local shelter.

\+ + +

Stiles is sort of boggled by his dad mentioning he let the witch go as they were stuffing their faces with pizza and watching not SG1 but the original Stargate movie because Stiles thought they should “begin at the real beginning.”  


“So she’s free. And out there. On the streets.” Stiles says, staring at his dad.  


Stilinski takes a swig of his beer and scowls at his son, “Yes? Well not on the street itself. She should be at the shelter on 5th actually.”  


Stiles keeps staring until Stilinski can’t take it anymore. “WHAT?” He asks exasperatedly. “She walked in because YOU didn’t lock the door, she was hungry! How can I prosecute anyone for being hungry.”  


“Dad! She might have been going to lie in wait because she hungers for HUMAN FLESH! I didn’t even get to ask her half of what I wanted to know!!!” Stiles flails.  


“You were sneaking into the station to question her??” Stilinski brings up and narrows his eyes as Stiles’ eyes widen in panic before he schools his expression. Stilinski was learning that he had to focus and look fast if he wanted to keep up with whatever it was Stiles was up to his neck in.  


“You were.” He reiterates, “I thought maybe you would be glad. And then stop sneaking around. I mean it Stiles…. Whatever you are into… You can tell me.”  


Stiles did not want to get into this, he was not going to let his dad get him close to just vomiting all about werewolves and all the shit he’s been coping with on his own again. It was the thing he most wanted to do, to stop lying to his dad and tell him everything. To ask his advice, to stop hurting him by shutting him out all the time.  


Stilinski sits there and watches his kid close up as sure as a giant clam and sighs. He’d pushed too hard again. God… Stiles was as stubborn as his mother. He relents, sitting back and nudging Stiles, “Get me another piece of pizza.”  


His dad changing the subject takes away all the tension in Stiles. He’d been reprieved again. He doesn’t get himself more pizza when he fetches for his dad; guilt and relief both twisting up his stomach he doesn’t want to chance eating any more.  


“Don’t think you’re not going to be eating salad tomorrow because you got too much greasy meat on this pizza, Dad.” Stiles says, retreating into mothering him.  


Stilinski snorts, “Right kid, shut up and watch the movie.”

\+ + +

Stiles falls into bed, exhausted but he sends off a txt to Derek and Scott, warning them that his dad had released the witch. The fact that neither replies is something he will stew about all day.

\+ + +

Stiles makes it to midday before he has just had it. No one replied to any of his texts. What the hell!? There was a witch! He was violated by her!! She had been in his HOUSE!! Didn’t anyone care? What the hell was all that showing up in his bedroom warning him about her. Wasn’t she HERE?? Isn’t ANYONE WORRIED?? Ok he was worried but what the hell!  


“No one cares til they need me to google something.” Stiles stews. “FINE. I will go confront the witch myself!” He says and heads for the door but turns around. “After I look up some more stuff about witches.” He thinks out loud, sort of turning in place near the front door. Which is why he could hear the noise outside anyway, opening the front door since it had to be Scott! Scott was so worried he came to check on him and… It’s not Scott.  


Non and Stiles stare at each other. Stiles with the door open and his eyes bugging out. Non looking just as surprised but half in the bushes lifting out what looks like a leather doctor’s bag. Stiles slams the door and he can hear thrashing in the bushes, looking out the window to see Non scurrying across the street and then down it. He stands there about a minute before running out to his jeep and following her, after all she was running! He had the upper hand – right? He catches up easily, pulling over and clearing his throat. “Why were you in my bushes?”  


Non is walking faster away. “I needed my bag. I didn’t take it in because I wasn’t stealing!”  


“Pfff yeah, except food.” Stiles points out. He can’t help but feel pleased when her eyeroll is communicated by a slight roll of the head too. God he must have a deathwish he thinks to himself, taunting alpha werewolves… hell any werewolf… Hunters… now witches?? No one to blame but himself. He’s so lost in thought he doesn’t realize he’s driven past her because Non has stopped.  


When he stops the jeep and looks back Non walks up to his window. “You’re giving me a ride.”  


“I am not!” Stiles says, slapping the lock down on his door. “I don’t give rides to strangers.”  


“Is that what McGruff the crime dog taught you?” Non asks, giving him a look. “You can call me Non.” She says, holding out her hand.  


“I know you’re a witch.” Stiles asserts again. “You were just coming after me because I’m the weak link! And McGruff taught me to take a bite out of crime thank you very much!”  


Non can’t help her WTF face, “Weak link?” She can’t help but laugh. “Oh my god how high school!” She is cackling. Not witchy cackling, Stiles is stunned to notice, but the sort of laughter that… Well it is obnoxious!! And it makes him blush.  


“Oh my god kid….” Non pants, wiping her eyes. “You are anything but weak. I mean come on. You have to be pissing your pants but here you are. Plus…” She holds up a finger as if to say, no see here. “Plus my witchery doesn’t work like Harry Potter or any of that bogus crap. It’s rough. It’s hard. It takes loads more set up than you think. AND… I don’t know your true name. Although your shade name is almost to the point of eclipsing it. Stiles.”  


Stiles stares at her fascinated. “What?”  


“You call it a nickname now. But it is completely your shade name. It… It’s the name you use to shadow your real name. Like… You don’t think Non is my real name do you?” Non arches an eyebrow at him and Stiles starts to worry that maybe it is a bad idea to be talking to a witch who BROKE INTO HIS HOUSE. Didn’t Derek tell him not to go near the witch? Well what did he know anyway!? Always telling him what to do then not replying to a text…  


He was so lost in his own thinking that he didn’t notice Non had stepped much closer to his open window, looking him up and down with narrow eyes. “Really good job of it too…. You locked up your real name in someone you could trust completely… Your dad I bet. Jeeze, no one ever would want to cross him. But great thinking though – I bet he was the one who took to using your nickname first and everyone else just followed along right?”  


Stiles feels a bit shocked but he had been young then, and his mom had just died and yeah… He hadn’t wanted to hear anyone say his name anymore, not after what he’d done, not after his mom died.  


“Stiles.” Non says, not to break him out of his reverie, although it does. Instead she is rolling the name about in her mouth thoughtfully. It scares him but she smiles. “A stile is a bridge over fences. You are a very good bridge between fences yourself. Humans, werewolves…. Hunters? Maybe more that that…? Bridge between…Well!” She looks him over and he feels himself blushing like an idiot.  


“Well no matter. So that ride?” Non smiles. “I promise no curses, hexes, or shenanigans?”  


Stiles stares a long time, trying to think. “Fine.” He reaches over and unlocks the passenger side and Non walks around and gets in. “You need to turn around.” She tells him.  


“But the shelter is this way.” Stiles says pointing.  


“Oh god I’m not going back there. I need a ride home, it’s back that way.” Non says, directing him across town.  


“Home!?” Stiles says, looking at her as he makes a u-turn. “But you’re…”  


“Homeless?” Non snorts. “Hardly. Ok. I haven’t been home in… well in a long time. I have no cash so no food so yeah… Ok I was sort of hunting for something to eat.”  


“You are not a very responsible adult.” Stiles says.  


“It just looks that way.” Non shrugs and Stiles is shocked at how relaxed he is. He should be freaking out. A B&E witch is in his jeep! Chatting away and talking about how much Beacon Hills has changed and oh my god that house is gone and when did they build that. He almost feels dizzy.  


Stiles finds himself drawn into her chatter, someone who talks as much as him and doesn’t tell him to shut up. Maybe that was a bad thing. Everyone he knows tells him to shut up but here she lets him just run off at the mouth and that makes him think about what he is saying. What is he saying?? Oh thank god it is just about the old library being boarded up. He’s a bit baffled when she has him stop in front of a small kiddie park near the woods that border Beacon Hills on all sides. “You live in a park?” He asks incredulously. “Is that your bench? Are you a child predator??”  


Non makes a rude noise and gets out. “Drive safe.” She tells him and strikes off into the park, heading through and up into the trees. Stiles manages to sit there all of 10 minutes before scurrying out of his jeep and off after her. He’s just going to see where she is going. It’s for the safety of the pack… That was completely why. Not curious at all, nope. Not him.

\+ + +

Stiles has no delusions he is a ninja. He is too used to stumbling and flailing his way though the woods in the company of the werewolves who make everything look so effortless, even going through the leaf strewn woods. The tang of spring is in the air but things aren’t budding just yet. He’s thinking it would be hard to hide from her if she turns around and looks as they keep going deeper and deeper in when they hit the bramble bushes. Ok… He can totally hide in those but the wicked thorns would sure hurt a lot. Ok maybe it would be better to be called out as a stalker. He’s so focused on watching his step around them that when he looks back up he’s shocked to see Non is just… Not there. But he should be able to see her still!  


Stiles throws caution to the wind, shoving through the bushes and getting scratches for his trouble, rushing to the last spot he saw her. He shoves himself through the bushes and into the clearing beyond and stops dead. He looks up at the trees, verdant and green and looks behind him. The brambles are there but covered in tiny flowers and beyond that is a green forest. “But…” Stiles says, boggled. “Magic…..” Which reminds him – wasn’t he following a witch?  


Stiles whips around and jumps back into the bushes, screaming because Non is RIGHT THERE. In his very personal physical space. “WHAT IS WITH SUPERNATURAL THINGS HAVING NO SENSE OF PERSONAL SPACE GODDAMN!!” He shouts.  


Non just starts laughing. It’s… It’s insulting is what it is. Stiles boils out of the bushes, cursing every scratch and thorn. It all just makes Non laugh harder til she is bent over, hands braced on her knees as she tries to laugh and breathe at the same time.  


Stiles stands there and huffs furiously. “It’s not funny!!!”  


She looks up at him and waves her hand, pointing and waving her finger at him as she keeps laughing.  


Stiles frowns and tries his best imitation of Derek’s scowl but he can’t not laugh too when she is overcome and sits down to laugh. “Jesus it’s not that funny!!”  


Non pants and wipes at her eyes a bit, “Says you. You scared the hell out of me. I didn’t think you could still…” She coughs, getting up. “Stalker.”  


“I’m not a stalker!! You broke into my house!” Stiles says.  


Non snorts and heads up what is definitely a little gravel path lined with flowers that may have once been tidy but now were just all over the place. Looking up beyond her, Stiles makes out a tiny house. It’s austerely painted white, or what was once white, with Victorian style gingerbreading and proper gables. It doesn’t look at all like what he would think a witch would live in. Well he wasn’t sure what he was expecting. Something creepier. Something like Derek’s house. Now Derek’s house is a total spook house. Even that train depot is spookier than this. This is… Cheerful.  


“You know you’re saying that all out loud.” Non says over her shoulder.  


Stiles shrugs, “Well it’s stupidly cheerful. You’re not just a terrible adult but a terrible witch.”  


They’re almost to the house when he jumps, a loud chorus of caws coming from the trees as a huge flock of crows fly to land on the roof. It’s intimidating and he leans back, good god now he knows how Tippi Hedren felt in The Birds.  


Non just walks up to the door and puts down her bag, peeling off a long glove. Stiles hurries up to stand with her on the tiny front porch. Non pulls a necklace out of her shirt, the – pendant! Ha he knows what a pendant is totally, is a round silvery thing with a stone and some sort of pattern. He tries to get a good look but he sees her grip and drag her thumb along the edge and blood.  


“Gross that’s blood!” He says, shocked.  


Non rolls her eyes, reaching out with her bleeding thumb and drawing a symbol on the white door.  


“Eugh…” Stiles says, hearing the click and the door opening. “That’s how you unlock a door? Jesus haven’t you ever heard of a key?? They sell them at Home Depot! You can buy a whole alarm system or something!”  


Non laughs, “It was sealed. That broke the seal.” She taps the door and he can make out faint white on white paint, whorls and symbols covering the entrance and around the windows. There’s a faint pulse of red before even that fades away.  


Non is already inside when he stops looking at it fascinated. He follows her in and looks around. It’s… Well ok it is tiny. It is totally tiny. The house is one small ground floor with a kitchen at the back and a bathtub just out in the open next to a small room with a door which must be a toilet. Well he would hope a toilet but it is close to the kitchen… Eugh…. There’s a ladder and a second floor that has intense ceilings made by the roof but it is lined with books – MAGIC BOOKS?? – and what might be a mattress.. It’s so SMALL. Everything is decorated like some ridiculous grandma had just willed her all the old furniture from somewhere, a floral couch that looks like someone broke it and just sort of piled it on the floor. He sneezes, it’s dusty as anything in here, he can see her footprints in it!  


“This…. Is where you live?” Stiles asks, sneezing again.  


Non doesn’t answer. She’s dropped her bag and is just standing there in the middle of this dollhouse in the middle of nowhere and looking… blissed.  


“This is home.” She sighs. “Open the windows on that side.” She says, heading the opposite way and opening the windows there. Stiles stands a minute but then he does go help.  


“You’re acting like this is all very normal.” Non says to him as he finishes fighting to open a stuck window. “You should be scared to be in the lair of a witch. You don’t know me you know. I could be planning to do terrible things.”  


Stiles looks around, “This isn’t very lair like unless the terrible thing you’re going to do is knit me a sweater.”  


“Ha ha.” Non says mirthlessly. “You should be a lot more aware. I wouldn’t be here if something wasn’t going straight to hell. But here you are just following someone you know is a witch into the woods. Does anyone know where you are?” She smiles at him, showing all her teeth.  


Stiles looks shifty, of course no one knew where he was… Oh my god he had just followed her deep into the woods, there was something magical about where he is now and HOLY CRAP HE WAS ALL ALONE IN THE WOODS WITH A WITCH. Didn’t Hansel and Gretel get cannibalized for eating a house made of cookies?? Ok it wasn’t made of cookies but it looks like it should be!! So did this one!! “Oh my god.” Is all that makes it out of Stiles’ mouth.  


Non jerks her head towards the door. “Run for it. I’ll play fair, give you a head start.”  


Stiles doesn’t need to be told twice, he is out the door and off the porch in a huge leap. The crows on the roof begin to caw, all taking off with a flurry of wings. If anything that scares him more, he plunges back down the gravel walk way to the bushes and through the green woods suddenly the skeletal chill of pre-spring. He skids on the leaves and looks back, there’s no sign of the crows, the house nothing.  


His heart hammers in his throat, head start… He thinks and is pelting back through the woods, it had been almost a straight line right back. He’s gasping and panting for air when he hears a rustle. “OH MY GOD!” He yells and is tackled, rolling through the leaves and almost into a tree, not laying still but flailing wildly and screaming.  


“What the hell dude???” Scott says, sitting on him as Allison runs up to where they are.  


“Jesus Christ Scott you scared the shit out of me!” Stiles protests, trying to get his heart back into some normal rhythm and not this wild one that makes him feel like he needs to run still. “What the hell are you doing out here??”  


“That’s what we could ask you!” Scott says, looking sour.  


“We were passing through and saw your jeep parked on the road. But you weren’t here so we thought maybe you were in trouble.” Allison says and smiles.  


Stiles lightly punches Scott to get off him and half crawls up the tree next to him, “I was…”  


“You were in trouble?” Scott says. “You smell terrified! And like something else.” He moves in to sniff at Stiles more.  


Stiles pushes his face away, “Oh my god stop sniffing me. What the hell is with you guys always doing that!”  


“Sorry…” Scott says, frowning. “Derek thinks I need to work harder with my wolf senses.”  


“Well don’t use me for homework.” Stiles says, finally catching his breath.  


Allison smiles, “What are you doing out here Stiles? If they have you researching something dangerous you shouldn’t go alone.”  


Stiles feels a bit charitable to Allison with that, she was always worried about him. He turns to reply but she is already making out with Scott. Ok maybe not that worried after all.  


“No… Just a walk.” Stiles says. “That became a run. I shouldn’t’ve watched Blair Witch Project last night.”  


“Hey.” Scott says, pulling himself off Allison with an effort. “You texted me about a witch? What do you mean dude? A witch??”  


Stiles nods, “Yeah. Derek said she smelled like a witch but… I dunno I don’t think it’s dangerous.” He blinks internally at that, what the hell wasn’t he just fleeing like a crazy person from her?? Why is he lying?  


Scott tilts his head, “Yeah?” He didn’t seem to pick up on the lie. Which makes Stiles wonder if maybe it wasn’t a lie?  


“Well as long as you’re ok now Stiles.” Scott says, gripping his arm and it is such a BFF thing to do, a pre-Allison thing that Stiles feels almost wilty with it.  


“Yeah man, I’m good.” He says and smiles. “Thanks for coming to look for me.”  


“I’ll always come looking for you Stiles, you’re my friend.” Scott says brightly.  


Stiles grins and starts to open his mouth to invite them to go eat or something or come over, to just do something when Scott turns and takes Allison’s hand.  


“Well since you’re ok we’re gonna go ok? Talk to you later?” Scott asks.  


Stiles pastes a smile on his face, “Yeah sure man. Have fun. See you later.”  


Allison smiles and lets Scott lead her back off. Romantic walk in the woods huh…. Stiles sighs, leaning back against the tree and knocking his head on it a bit and trying not to feel so horribly jealous. His phone chimes with a message.  


Alpha Jerk: Don’t go near her. Witches are bad news. I’ll find her and deal with her.  


Stiles snorts, texting back: You’re just going to kill her?  


Alpha Jerk: Best thing to do with a witch.  


Stiles sighs: You need therapy for your murder complex.  


When no reply comes right back Stiles heads back to his jeep and wonders about what the hell had happened.

\+ + +

Stiles looks at the clock, 10pm. He sighs and puts his phone up. Why was he back here? Didn’t he escape? Why did he come out here the second his dad called and said he wouldn’t be home tonight? Stiles sighs and pushes his head back into the seat. If he sits here worrying much longer he is going to have to eat cold curly fries. Or all of them himself. Would that be eating his feelings?? It’s not like he’s lonely he has lots of friends. Busy… Busy friends. Or angry friends who may or may not actually be friends. And he knows from experience that while he can eat enough for two people he always regrets it later. Right. He picks up the take out bag and his flashlight and heads off into the woods behind the park.  


Stiles is a bit surprised at himself. Maybe this is all a part of her plan. Lure him in. Make him comfortable, then… What… She looked too frail to overpower him. Is that why? She looked weaker than him? God is that why all the wolves pushed him around?? Ugh… Assholes! Stiles thinks, sneaking up through the brambles and into the clearing. There’s a rustle of a breeze and the soft noises of birds huddled together. Illuminating a tree with his flashlight he can see the branches are full of birds. Ok Creepy. He puts the light back down on the ground, not wanting to stumble. The house is lit up, looking cheerful and inviting. It makes him smile and approach eagerly like it’s not some magical weirdo cabin in the woods of death. He stops just shy of knocking. Oh god what if this is a mistake. What if this was all some spell she has put on him!? He knocks and there’s a clatter and cursing, the door creaking open because it’s apparently not able to close tightly unless it’s sealed?? Non is there looking startled.  


“The hell are you doing here!?” She says.  


Stiles holds up the take out, “I thought you might like to….IS THAT BLOOD??”  


He yells, looking at her hands which are completely covered in blood.  


“Oh my god you’re a cannibal!!” Stiles says and falls over backwards.  


Non scowls and kicks his shin making him yelp. “It’s MY blood you scared the shit out of me and I cut myself.” She goes back in and hooks her arm around the pump on the sink, working it as best she can and trying not to bleed everywhere.  


Stiles comes in and takes over, “Holy shit it’s a pump, like we’re on the prairie or some shit. My mind is literally swimming with pump jokes right now, I’ll try not to say any of them out loud. Is it coming from ground water?”  


“No it’s coming from the ocean.” Non snaps, washing her hands and sticking her cut finger in her mouth.  


“You’d deserve the salt in your wound if it was. I brought you dinner.” Stiles says. “Because I am a saint.”  


Non looks at him sourly, her finger still in her mouth.  


“That’s really not sanitary.” Stiles says, looking around for a table and settling for the coffee table, setting out the food and starting to eat.  


“Well just make yourself at home!” Non says exasperatedly.  


“I’m doing a great impression of my wolfy friends. Who if you hurt me they’ll find you and Avenge me.” Stiles says.  


Non sits and leans back on the couch, eating her fries first but only the curliest ones. “Werewolves huh? Makes you a little too ballsy. I mean come on. I could hurt you. I’m a witch. And you know it. Why are you here.”  


“Vengeance. You showed up in my house so here I am all up in yours. That’s right. Now your werewolf friends can yell at you and tell you what to do smellin Stiles all up in here.” Stiles says.  


Non frowns, “I don’t have werewolf friends.”  


“You must be hungry because you’re slow.” Stiles says then grimaces, “Sorry… I didn’t mean to be a jerk.”  


Non shrugs, eating slowly, “Well you bought dinner kid, so maybe I won’t turn you into a toad.”  


“A newt.” Stiles corrects.  


“No way. A newt would be cool. Don’t think I miss that reference you coconut clapper. You would be a toad. One that your werewolf friends you keep bringing up would have to lick to turn back.” Non smirks.  


Stiles laughs, “Ok please don’t. The last thing I want is a full body tongue bath from any of them.”  


Non eats quietly. Stiles starting to babble to just fill the silence. “So a witch huh? How do you get into that. Last time I checked at the guidance office at school they didn’t have a pamphlet or anything. Hogwarts? Worst Witch?”  


“Oh god…” Non says and rolls her eyes, “There is no school. Oh my god. Why is it that even with that witches are still treated like crap everywhere. Ok sure most of them go bad… Maybe really bad. Ok so maybe crazy person bad. Yeah… so most are pretty terrible. But it’s completely because they…” Non trails off and scowls at Stiles.  


Stiles blinks, “What. I’m interested, continue.”  


“This is pity isn’t it.” Non says, standing up, “You brought pity dinner out here! I ate pity fries and a pity burger!”  


Stiles snorts, “If you’re worried about pity dinners why would I be scared of the big bad witch.” He laughs, weirdly this is all very… comfortable. Something about the house and the trees feels… comforting. Even Non throwing her hands up in surrender makes him feel like it’s where he would like to be. And besides, it’s not like anyone else was around to hang out with.  


“Are you done eating?” Non asks, interrupting his thoughts.  


“Uh. Oh yeah?” Stiles replies.  


“Good. Get out.” Non says, starting to push him towards the door.  


Stiles starts to protest, mostly he was… Ok he was tired of being alone and this felt weirdly nice. “But I was just.”  


“Out!” Non insists and stands at the door while he half falls off the tiny porch. “Bring back food tomorrow too and you can stay.”  


“What!?” Stiles says. “Are you gouging me for food?”  


“Are you trying to pump me for info about magic?” Non counters.  


Stiles stares and mulls that over. Maybe he was? “Eggs good?”  


“All non perishable please. Now go on, get lost. It’s really late!!! Be careful, there’s probably lunatics wandering these woods now.” Non closes the door and Stiles turns to go. Does that mean he was welcome back? Well suddenly the last half of spring break wasn’t looking quite so dull. And by lunatics… did she mean werewolves?

\+ + +

The next day Stiles woke up at the crack of 10am. Rubbing his eyes and heading downstairs with a yawn. His dad had left a note for him to keep it down because he was tired and he’d be out by lunch to work a shift. Stiles smiles and makes himself a hearty breakfast of cereal and goes to camp in front of the TV and play Xbox a while.  


When the Sheriff comes downstairs to make himself some lunch before work, Stiles looks at the clock. My god it was 12:30! He’d almost forgotten all about going back to the witch’s house. He almost leapt to his feet but then he just leaned back against the couch. That was weird, right? He’d felt so compelled to go out there. But this morning not so much… But now that he was thinking about it, he could feel it welling up in him. He wanted to go back. He wanted to go hang out on the ugly furniture, to try and get a look at those books. It was like his curiosity was suddenly eating him alive.  


His dad comes out and snorts, “Are you in for the day again?” He asks.  


Stiles shrugs. “I dunno… Maybe.”  


“Just give me a call if you go out ok? I’m working late again but I still want you home before midnight.” Stilinski says seriously.  


Stiles laughs, “Ok Dad, back before the pumpkin hour. I gotcha. Be safe.”  


His dad nods and heads out with the sandwich he made himself leaving Stiles to roll about on the floor and consider if he is going to give in to his curiosity or stay inside and be sensible.  


An hour later he is walking through the woods complaining to himself that he is NOT sensible. And my god these canned goods are heavy. And why was he buying her food!? Shouldn’t he just go home? He lifts the bags a bit better into his hands and sighs.  


“How stupid do I have to be….” He sighs and steps into the clearing. Ok this is all really magical. It fit all his fantasies of magic and it hasn’t tried to kill him or do horrible things to him yet. He doesn’t have to knock because the door is standing open and … No one is home.

“Hello?” Stiles calls stupidly because… Duh he can see everywhere. Well except the toilet. He listens and hears nothing so, she is not in the toilet. “Hello?” There’s some answering caws from the crows outside, which ok that is freaky. He starts unpacking the groceries. Non perishable, vegetables, tuna, pasta… He’s starting to think he is stupid as anything. Buying groceries???? Stiles straightens and he looks around, she’s not here… Maybe those are magic books. Stiles can’t scramble up the ladder fast enough, running his fingers along the spines of the books and reading.  


“Moby Dick? Last of the Mohicans? Pride and Prejudice???” Stiles groans, they’re old alright. Old and fit only for AP English. He sighs but notices a very worn book, it has no name on the spine as he pulls it out and opens it. The book crackles with age, it smells like vanilla and ink. Stiles sits on what did turn out to be a mattress on the floor, thumbing through the book carefully. The pages are brittle and… Well he can’t read it but man does he want to. Whoever wrote it wrote SMALL in some sort of calligraphy. It’s cramped and awkward, looking like his notebooks from school. Notes in the margins, pictures drawn in, enticing diagrams. Stiles wonders what language it is, Latin like the bestiary? French? Nah French is like Spanish… He reasons. Maybe he should be taking pictures of this with his phone! God he’s a terrible spy! What were all those notes for if he was going to let down Michael Weston like this.  


“Wow, comfortable are you?” Non asks from the doorway, staring up at him.  


Stiles jumps but to his credit he doesn’t hurt the book any, snapping it closed and shoving it behind him. “Hey! So there you are. I brought food.”  


“Uh huh. Look kid… I know you have a hard time leaving people alone when you think they need help but I’m serious. I don’t need help.” Non says, folding her arms and trying to look intimidating but… Well she can’t pull it off.  


Stiles feels a little shocked by what she’s said. Did he really come off that way? Ok so maybe he hates to see someone struggle. Or be alone. He knows all about being alone. He hates it and hey – killing two birds with one stone. Who came up with that saying? Someone who loved killing birds apparently!  


Non is still looking at him and he shrugs, “Sorry?”  


She sighs and waves him down, “Get off my bed, god. Ok, maybe you can help. You’re into the whole… otherworldy side around here – right?”  


Stiles hops off the last rung of the ladder and looks at her. “Yeah? I mean. I guess so? I know werewolves and I’ve dealt with some stuff, myself. Yeah?”  


Non looks over the canned goods instead of staring him down. “Something is really wrong here. I mean really wrong. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t.”  


“What are you – a super hero?” Stiles laughs. “Someone send up a witch signal?”  


Non gives him a look, “Actually this brought me here.” She holds up her pendant. “It’s been dragging me around for the past 12 years.”  


Stiles gets a good look this time. It was a very elegant looking disc with a raised six-pointed star and a stone in the middle. “How come it isn’t taking you right to the problem?”  


“Because the problem is sort of… wide spread? It can’t narrow it down for me unless I get close enough to it.” Non waves her hand a little, finding the sandwiches Stiles brought and smelling both before choosing one. “So if you’re so in tune and running with wolves and all – is there any spot where weird crap just sort of turns up? A place you don’t like being?”  


Stiles takes the other sandwich and leans against the counter, shrugging. “Not that I can think of? I mean ok usually I am sort of scared out of my mind and focused on trying to do what I have to to notice.”  


Non looks at him pained. “Why are you…”  


“Not you too. Look everyone is always telling me to get out to go home to run! I’m sort of sick of it. It’s not like they get to pick and choose when I’m convenient to be bothered!” Stiles snaps his mouth shut and blushes, taking a huge bite to shut himself up.  


“Hey kid.” Non says, holding up a hand, “Don’t choke ok. Jeeze… I get it. I get it ok? Even I’ve had a friend I’d die for so yeah… I get it.”  


They eat quietly for a while, “You keep coming back.” Non points out. “And you shouldn’t. I shouldn’t’ve let you in the first time.”  


Stiles tenses up and sighs. “I don’t know why. I thought maybe you had cursed me or something.”  


Non laughs, “It’s not that easy. And anyway. Why should I? You’re a curious nosy little bastard. You just keep coming back on your own. Thanks for the food though. Seriously. I was setting snares. I am god awful with snares. It is way easier to catch you and make you buy some cans of soup. Good choices too. I appreciate the tuna. And the sandwich… Thanks. Thank you.”  


Stiles smiles, he feels appreciated and it is a heady feeling. “You’re welcome. Uh… Sorry about…” He waves his hand up at the loft over the kitchen.  


“Eh… Don’t sweat it. You can’t get through any of the grimoires up there without knowing the key.” She grins and Stiles groans.  


Stiles finishes his sandwich and then follows Non outside. She’s been weeding in the back and he notices the wolfbane growing like a decorative plant.  


“That’s wolfsbane.” He says numbly.  


“Well spotted.” Non says, going back to her weeding. “Don’t look like that. I am not in the business of running down werewolves that aren’t actively trying to gnaw my face off. This one is mandrake. It’s ridiculously too big to be useful. Over here being strangled by grass is my black cohosh.” She stands and points into the wild looking garden and rattles off the names of all sorts of plants, describing their properties.  


“What about mountain ash?” Stiles asks, making her look at him.  


“Nope.” Non says, brushing off her hands. “You have a car right?”  


“I have a Jeep.” Stiles says seriously.  


“Think you could sort of… Drive me around town so I can get a feel for maybe where I need to be?” Non asks, “I’ll teach you some more herbalism…”  


“How about you let me look through your magic books instead?” Stiles counters.  


“Grimoirs.” Non corrects. “….Alright.”  


“Oh come on! What? Really?” Stiles asks excitedly.  


“Well it’s helping me.. A lot. I can’t walk all over town all day and…Thank you.” Non says.  


“Right now? Want to go right now? We can go right now.” Stiles says excitedly. “And Grimoires later – right?”  


Non laughs, brushing her hands off on her haggard looking pants. “Right. Now I am going to limit you on what you see… Too much of this stuff is dangerous if you’re not right for it.”  


Stiles’ face falls a little, he’d sort of hoped she would tell him he was a wizard – hadn’t Deaton said he had a spark? Hadn’t he made that little bit of ash last longer than it should? That was pretty magical. He watched Non get her doctor bag out and pull on her hooded scarf. She pulls it up over her head and looks at him.  


“What?” He asks the longer she stares at him. “What?? God don’t act all weird now I really want to look at those books.”  


Non laughs and snaps the strap onto her bag, slinging it on. “Sorry kid I was sort of checking something.”  


“The hood thing is cool…” Stiles says, smoothing out his own hoodie.  


“When we get back lemme see your jacket there for a while ok?” Non says, motioning him out the door.  


“My hoodie? Why? Get your own hoodie! Or are you going to hex it? Is it how you’re going to get out of the deal we just made?” Stiles asks her, hopping off the porch and jumping when the crows all start cawing.  


Non laughs, “I won’t break the deal. Just humor me ok?”  


Stiles would nod but he’s too busy dodging crows that are flying down, trying to land on him. “Oh God! Are they attacking??? They’re attacking!” He holds his arms up and flails a little.  


Non snorts and tries to grab his arm but narrowly misses being smacked. “Calm down they’re not going to hurt you!” She grips his sleeve and a crow lands on his shoulder, cawing and walking up and down it a little.  


“It’s looking at me!” Stiles says worriedly. “It’s going to take out my eye! I read Game of Thrones! Crows take out people’s eyes all the time!”  


Non laughs and motions the crow away, the others are flying around them as she pushes him down the path, “What’s Game of Thrones?”  


“Are you joking??” Stiles asks in a high voice, explaining it to her the whole way back to his jeep. He’s still explaining it, maybe in a lot of detail as they drive around – but she’s listening. Even when he is getting emotional over Ned Stark she listens and asks very smart questions. They sort of canvas the whole town that way, Stiles talking about whatever and Non listening. God how long as it been since he said anything and no one told him to shut up? Not since his mom… As if thinking about her is enough his throat closes up and he looks out the window as he stops at a light.  


“You ok?” Non asks. “Sorry I let you talk, god that’s probably rude as hell… It’s just been a long time. I was having fun.”  


Was she apologizing for letting him talk? Stiles thinks, startled. “You are my favorite.” He says and she jerks around to look at him, startled.  


“I mean sorry!?” Stiles says, should he take it back??  


“No kid… Thanks. I haven’t been anyone’s favorite in a long long time. Even if it’s temporary it’s nice.” She smiles, it’s really all he can see of her face, her mouth.  


“So what is with the hood today?” He asks curiously.  


“Safer for you if it’s like you’re alone.” Non explains cryptically. She looks up at the sky and sighs, “We better get back, I don’t want you wandering the woods after dark. Drop me off and go home ok?”  


“The books!” Stiles insists. “You promised!”  


Non laughs, “I know exactly what I promised and they have been in my family for centuries and they will be there in the morning. You know, if you show up before noon.”  


Stiles scowls, “I didn’t know that ‘The Craft’ was referring to your lawyer like manipulation of intent!”  


“I’m just trying to keep up with you Stiles.” Non agrees and they enjoy the trip back to her house by chatting about what a Grimoire is.

\+ + +

The Sunday before classes start up again, Stiles is camped out on Non’s couch carefully turning the pages of a grimoire that actually is less a book on magic and more a diary of a witch. He rubs his eyes at the tiny printing, it was hard work reading in the fading light but they had spent a lot of the daylight hours driving all over town while Non did her best to figure out what had brought her here.  


Whatever it was Stiles was ready to give it a huge kiss because he hadn’t been lonely or dwelled on how everyone had completely ditched him the whole break – INCLUDING Derek who never once said anything about the witch again even when he had seen him drive past. Not that Stiles wanted him to find Non. Not now. Not when she was sitting on the floor erasing a spell mark she had drawn while explaining how her magic worked to him.  


“So…” Stiles says, rubbing his eyes. “You’re a set-spell user, but as long as there is blood and bone you can what… Make anything? Cast a spell?”  


Non smiles, “Sort of – I will always need a spell mark, and for it to work I need to draw it with blood or blood and bone.”  


“How does that work? I mean blood and bone? Like a steak bone?” Stiles laughs.  


“Euhhh….” Non says and grimaces. “Well… Not really. I mean not my bones… Not food bones. But… People bones? They work well but supernatural people bones work better? So… Other witches, werewolves, priests or such…”  


Stiles just stares at her. “Are you kidding me?? Like what do you do snap off a bit and cut shapes?”  


“NO! God, no I grind them up and mix them with blood and make bone-chalk and you look like you are going to puke.” Non says and sighs.  


“If I do puke it will really improve the looks of your couch. How can you do that?? How can you kill people for their bones!” Stiles says, standing up.  


“I don’t kill them! I rob graves…” Non shrugs weakly. “It’s not like I want to. I wish I was a different kind of witch! I do! My Gran could magic things up almost out of thin air. But I can’t… I have to do what I can… So… Yeah…”  


Stiles feels so creeped out. Robbing graves was horrible!! He couldn’t imagine what he’d do if someone came and took his mom’s bones and used her for spells. He felt sick, and here he had been hanging out with something like her and enjoying it and…  


And he looked down at her and she didn’t even look hurt by his reaction, just resigned. Just accepting that it was all different now and he wouldn’t be helping her and then she smiled at him, a weak, knowing smile. “It’s ok Stiles. I don’t blame you. It’s ok.”  


Stiles throws down the book, wincing when it comes apart and storming out. He felt weirdly betrayed. Why hadn’t she told him all this at the beginning? He would have never had anything to do with her! Robbing people’s loved ones of having them there! All so she can what?? Cast some spells? He gets all the way home, slamming the door and starting to stomp up stairs.  


“You ok Stiles?” His dad calls him from the living room. “You have a fight with one of your friends?” He asks and comes to look at him.  


Stiles starts to dissemble but he just feels tired of it. “Yeah Dad… Kind of a huge one.”  


Stilinski reaches out, putting his arm around Stiles, “It’ll be ok. You can work it out.”  


Stiles rests his head on his Dad’s shoulder. “I don’t think so Dad…”  


“You’re too much like your mom to ever let someone you think is worthwhile go. So don’t lie to me.” Stilinski grins.  


Stiles has to laugh a little weakly, the one time he’s not lying his dad says he is.  


Stilinski looks at his son worriedly, “Whatever it is, however it works out – the people worth having around will always be around.”  


Stiles tries not to roll his eyes, “God Dad are you watching Lifetime when I think you’re watching UFC??”  


Stilinski laughs, “Who are you kidding? That was on UFC. Did you eat?”  


Stiles grimaces. Non had caught some fish in a small creek and had made dinner for him and his dad – some lemon dill fish thing. He’d totally forgotten it. It made him think of when she crossed the creek and had thrown up twice, she was the type of witch who can’t easily cross moving water. It had been so funny at the time.  


“No, I haven’t eaten…” He tells his dad who tugs him into the kitchen with the promise of breakfast for dinner.

\+ + +

Derek showed up to the school, not so much to pick up his betas but to check in on Stiles. Wherever the witch had gone, she was gone. He hadn’t smelled her anywhere. Which is good. Why would one turn up in the house of the one human he considered a part of his pack. Plus Stiles was always showing up and bullying his way into the middle of everything. He’d say it was for Scott but there was a lot of what Stiles did that was just… It was just a part of whatever annoying thing he was. It wasn’t like Derek was worried. He just didn’t want to be bothered dealing with a witch because Stiles was too human to realize the dangers.  


Scott frowned at him as he walked out with Isaac making Derek scowl back.  


“Derek…” Isaac says quietly, surprised he was there but smiling.  


“Where’s Stiles?” Derek asks without preamble.  


“Why do you want to know?” Scott bristles making Derek roll his eyes. “I wanted to tell him the witch that got in his house has left the area – I haven’t found any trace of her.”  


“He’s not here.” Isaac says helpfully.  


“Where is he?” Derek asks.  


“He’s not here that’s all you need to know.” Scott says looking down his nose at Derek.  


“Whatever. C’mon Isaac. Scott you tell Stiles. I don’t care.” Derek walks back around and gets into the camaro. He’s annoyed, witches don’t just come and go. As he pulls away he glances at Isaac.  


Isaac sighs, “He didn’t come to practice so I don’t know.”  


Derek tries not to be bothered by that. He tries really hard until dark, heading over to Stiles’ house, driving by because no one is home. He looks at the clock and it’s almost midnight. Stiles wasn’t with any of them so where was he? Did Stiles do anything? Derek is starting to be bothered that he doesn’t know.

\+ + +

Stiles had spent all afternoon and into the evening standing just outside of the green area around Non’s house. He’s not sure he wants to apologize. He’s not sure he should. He still thinks what she does is… Horrible. It’s HORRIBLE. Robbing the dead… At least it’s not robbing the living he thinks distantly and sighs, rubbing his face. He finally caves, stepping through and heading up the gravel path. The lights are all on, the crows making soft noises as they sleep in the trees and on the roof. That was something else, how did she have lights out here? There was no electricity but they didn’t flicker like candles. Magic?? She got such an amused look when he leapt right to things being magic. He actually understood things a lot better now. She’d done that. She had taken the time, answering him. Being honest. And he’d run out on her. It was ridiculous that in a few days he had fallen into such an easy friendship with someone his DAD’S AGE. And that she was so upfront with him, even Derek wasn’t up front with him!! And he’d saved his life!  


Stiles peeks into the window, wanting to see if she is in. She is, sitting on the couch, looking at what must be a grimoire and looking for all the world like her cat has died. Why doesn’t she have a cat? Isn’t that a witch thing? Cats? He knocks and sees her jump, hiding the grimoire and opening the door moments later.  


“What.” She bristles at him.  


“I’m sorry.” Stiles says. “I… You rob graves.” He grimaces, he talks all the time but that’s the best he can do?  


“I don’t like it. It’s part of how my magic works though. I kept telling you it’s not hand waving. It’s not chanting… Well not all waving and chanting. It’s… It’s what I have to do if I want to survive what I have to do.” Non says.  


Stiles sticks his hands in his pockets and looks at his feet. “Don’t steal from graves around here ok?”  


“I never rob a fresh grave… I never rob anything in 50 years of me…. I had to use fresh bone once and I lost my lunch.” Non mutters.  


“You'd do that just enjoying a trip on a ferry.” Stiles says, his mouth tugging up in a grin.  


“Oh ha ha ha.” Non scowls. “Besides…. I have no idea why I’m here. Something terrible is here but we’ve been all over town….” She goes back to the couch, sitting and putting her face in her hands.  


“Hey. Hey don’t act like that. You’re too old to give up. My Dad never gives up. Maybe not the greatest generation but you guys could be the dogged generation. 

Anyways, that’s just in town. Maybe it is town adjacent? Or maybe you weren’t brought here to fix anything at all! Maybe you just got to come home?” Stiles says, bending and grinning. “Maybe you were brought here to teach me all the ways of magic.”  


Non sighs and looks at him, “I’ve told you…”  


“I know… I’m a ‘Believer’ but I don’t know really what you meant by it?” Stiles says, flopping on the couch and looking out the windows. It’s amazing how much he enjoyed living in the 1800 out here. No Xbox!!!  


“If you fix us something to eat I will tell you all about it.” Non says smiling.  


“God you can’t just tell me? It’s always give and take with you!” Stiles sighs, getting up to heat some spaghetti-os or something.  


“Nullum gratuitous prandium - there’s no such thing as a free lunch. If I just tell you anything you want to know you’ll not value it. Anyway, since you’re working for it. A Believer is someone who can spark a reaction. Sometimes physical, sometimes intellectual, and sometimes magical. Believers are just normal people, anyone can believe. But real belief… it’s hard. It’s a sort of pure magic left over from the old days. Believers made miracles, believers changed the world. Now though no one really believes, you can believe enough to use things that have an ability. Like my set spells? But instead of having to create a spell mark you just use the item. Like Mountain Ash. You’ve used that. Anyone human can. There’s no interference.” Non explains.  


“So… If I believed hard enough I could like, part the Red Sea?” Stiles asks and laughs.  


“Yes. And if you had that very particular staff. You could.” Non says and Stiles turns around, gaping.  


“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? LIKE THAT WAS FOR REAL???” Stiles gasps, overwhelmed with the possibility.  


Non laughs, “Calm down. People don’t believe like that anymore. You don’t. Stick to the Mountain Ash ok? Don’t try and push a miracle or go looking for relics. Most of them are warehoused in the Vatican anyways where all the last of the serious Believers are.”  


Stiles sighs, “So Believers are all in the church?”  


“Churches. Religions… All the faiths draw in Believers. Ones like you are fairly rare but because of it you’re not that strong… So don’t think you can exorcize anything or purify…” She shakes a finger at him and he brings bowls of bad pasta over for them to eat.  


“But your things aren’t like mountain ash.” Stiles says, shoveling his dinner down his gullet.  


“My set spells? Kind of. Each one is different, I have made fairly elaborate ones out of smaller ones, and they do behave like it. But they only work for me. Mountain Ash can work for any regular Believer. Mine are all tied to blood – my blood, and bone.” Non smiles, shaking her head at how he eats. She still eats slowly, not wanting to overtax her whole system still.  


“So when you drew that one with the charcoal on the floor yesterday….” Stiles prompts.  


“It wouldn’t do anything. But if I use my chalk… It’ll do what I want if I direct it to.” Non smiles.  


“So the lights?” Stiles motions to the lanterns.  


“Set spells. Like the ones in my skin. I just need to activate them and they do what they do.” Non shrugs.  


“That is AWESOME.” Stiles sighs. “…Wait what do you mean in your skin?”  


Non laughs, pulling off her long gloves and holding out her hands. Stiles swallows hard and frowns, her hands are horribly scarred, he feels his body wince in sympathy. But the longer he looks the more he can make out patterns and designs.  


“How….?” He asks. Non patting him soothingly on the wrist.  


“It’s not easy to put a spell in yourself, not and have it constantly going. It takes a long time and a good firm hand. And you can’t do it yourself. I got these from my Gran. Every full and new moon for a year we worked on them. Gran with her anthame hacking them in me, I had to be chanting the whole time, working the spell it was to be…” Non smiles fondly at them, “Don’t worry. Right hand is for slapping, left is for helping.”  


Stiles shakes his head, “What do you mean by that?”  


He tries all night to get her to work a spell on him, going home as the sun is coming up and glad his dad is still working the nightshift as he heads upstairs to change and go to school. He yawns and opens his bedroom door, screaming when he is slammed back against it. Red eyes glaring at him in the pre-dawn gloom making Stiles squirm.  


“Hey… Derek…. What’s up buddy?” Stiles says worriedly.  


Derek is beyond furious. “Where have you BEEN?!”  


“Who are you my Dad? Oh wait no – my Dad is AWESOME and not an abuser!!!” Stiles pushes Derek back… or he tries to. Derek is stupidly strong and solid.  


Derek leans in and takes a long sniff of him and growls angrily. Stiles flushes and his knees get wobbly in panic, “Let me go man! C’MON!”  


“Where. Is. The. WITCH.” Derek hisses.  


Stiles starts to open his mouth and lie, his heart giving it away before he even says anything and Derek knocking him back against the door.  


“Don’t try and lie to me Stiles!!” Derek snarls, “I can smell her all over you! What the hell are you thinking??” He slams Stiles back against the door, the crack of it startling him almost as much as Stiles’ startled gasp of pain. Derek drops his hands from Stiles, backing off. He’d never been so rough with him – humans are fragile! 

Derek swallows hard and feels so agitated like he wants to beat the answer out of Stiles which… Ok he was annoying but that’s not like him.  


“Where’s the witch Stiles. Tell me.” He grits out between his teeth.  


Stiles is still wincing from the hit, rubbing his head and looking pained, “Get out of my room Derek.” He says furiously. Derek bristles but Stiles is not in the mood to care. “GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY ROOM!”  


Derek reaches for Stiles’ arm but he evades. “I’m serious Stiles!! You have no idea how dangerous they can be! Whatever she is telling you, whatever she wants, she is just trying to get to us! To the pack!”  


Stiles snarls, “AND WHAT I’M AN IDIOT WHO WOULD JUST GIVE YOU UP TO HER?? YOU NEVER!!!” Stiles felt hurt, he felt so deeply hurt by this always coming up. 

Everyone runs and dumps their problems in his lap and they don’t care about what sort of fall out he deals with. He does everything he can to help, he misses out on what he wants to do and people he wants to be with and no one ever cares! He drops everything in his life to help… Stiles pushes his hands into his eyes and pushes himself as far away from Derek as he can. “Just leave me alone Derek. I’m not going to endanger any of my friends.”  


Derek winces, he can smell the emotions on Stiles, reaching out to him.  


“LEAVE ME. ALONE.” Stiles says, opening his bedroom door and leaving Derek to stand in his room, baffled and a little affronted by Stiles overreaction to the fact he was stupidly letting himself be toyed with by a witch.

\+ + +

Stiles avoids everyone at school that day. He’s exhausted and admittedly cranky. It gets worse when it is just so easy to avoid them all. Everyone is used to Stiles making time for them. It’s always him who finds them, him who brings the party with him – right? Now, without his effort, it’s like he sees nobody. He shows up for lacrosse practice, Isaac giving him some intense staring but he avoids the questions from him and Scott until they’re back in the locker room, the boys flanking him and making it impossible to leave.  


“What’s up guys? I know you can’t wait to get all up on this but I gotta say, I prefer it one on one.” Stiles smiles.  


“Dude… Gross!” Scott whines, rolling his eyes, “That’s like incest!”  


Isaac just gets to the point, “Derek wants you to come to the house.”  


“No.” Stiles says firmly.  


Isaac shuffles a little, what did he mean no?? “He said you either bring him to the witch or the witch to him? Why are you hanging out with a witch Stiles? It’s dangerous.”  


“What are you doing messing with magic Stiles?” Scott says worriedly. “Witches are really dangerous. Deacon says that they’ll tell you anything you want to hear and then kill you dude!”  


Stiles looks at his shoes, it wasn’t like that. It wasn’t… Was it? What did he really know about her? Who knows maybe the whole house thing is an illusion… But it felt real. He felt like… He felt good hanging out there. So it must be wrong? He just didn’t know.  


“I’ll bring her.” Stiles is shocked to hear himself say. “But Derek can’t kill her. I really don’t think she’s the problem you guys all think she is.”  


Isaac and Scott talk at once.  


“Derek says all witches are bad! You can’t seriously think that this one is ok!” Isaac says.  


“Deacon says you should never mess with anyone who happily admits they are a witch dude!” Scott babbles at him.  


Stiles grimaces and pushes through them. “Look. Just tell Derek I’ll bring her over today. Ok? But no killing. None!”  


Isaac nods but he is pretty sure Derek is going to do what he wants. For that matter, Stiles is pretty sure of it too.

\+ + +

Stiles clears his throat as he steps into Non’s house, she’s on the couch with his red hoodie, sewing on it with a smile. “Hey… What are you doing to my hoodie?”  


“I’m almost done. I’m just putting a spell in it. I think you’ll like it.” Non smiles, the red thread pulling strangely through the fabric and between her fingers.  


Stiles sits next to her and looks, an embroidered pattern blending into the hood itself along the inside. She moves her hand with the needle to her chest, blotting her thumb against a tissue there, a very red tissue.  


“You’re bleeding!” Stiles exclaims, reaching for her hand.  


Non laughs, leaning away. “I know. It’s necessary.” She shows him that the thread she is working with is white on the spool but it passes through the pad of her thumb, dying the material a deep red.  


“OH GROSS!” Stiles gags, “And you bled all over my hoodie??”  


Non snorts, “It’s worth it. It’s how my magic works!”  


“Euuugh… What is your needle made of human bone? OH MY GOD IT’S MADE OF HUMAN BONE!”  


Non clears her throat, “Werewolf bone actually… From Germany so don’t look at me like that.”  


“Oh my God… Thank you for not using one of the Hales!” Stiles says, sagging back into the couch and trying not to think of his Dahmer Hoodie! Oh my god!  


“Oh jeeze… Get over it.” Non says, finishing her stitch and biting the thread off. She leans in to the embroidery and murmurs against it, he can see a faint pulse of light then it goes back to normal.  


“Ok that was awesome what did you do?” Stiles says, making excited grabby hands, completely over the fact his hoodie is covered in blood embroidery.  


Non laughs and shakes her head, “It’s a mask. Put it on and keep the hood down and it’s just normal. Even if you put the hood up on your head and your face is out it will be normal. But pull the hood down…” She smiles and tilts her head.  


Stiles stands up and yanks the hoodie on, putting up the hood and looking around, ok no difference. He looks at her like what?  


Non stands up, “I told you pull it down, right over your face like I do mine.”  


Stiles’ fingers tremble as he touches the edge of the hood and pulls it down over his face like some sort of monk. He can see a faint sparkle in the embroidery and he imagines he won’t be able to see out which… sort of makes whatever this does stupid in a lot of ways except then he notices he can SEE. It’s like looking through a thin veil of fabric.  


“Oh my god this is so cool!” Stiles says. “So now no one can see my face??”  


Non laughs, “No kid… Now no one except family can see you. They can’t see you, smell you, or hear you. It’s a complete mask.”  


“AWESOME!! But wait… You can see me and hear me and smell me… Well I hope not smell me I did shower.”  


Non tilts her head, “I made it kid.”  


“Oh! Right right right…” Stiles says excitedly, pulling the hood down and grinning. “So I thought of a place to check out. It’s at the edge of town… But it might be a good spot for you to start?”  


Non smiles, sucking her still bleeding thumb and shrugging. “Sure? Can’t hurt? I caught more fish. I think you should take it home today – Omega 3s are great for old guys like your dad.” She gets her bag and repacks her stuff, pulling on her own hood which now he understands why she always wore it down when they went around town and no one had brought it up to him before. She pulls it down now and grins, “Come on kid. Let’s see what you have for me.”  


Stiles feels a little guilty tricking her out to Derek’s place like this but… He had to be sure. This was the best way – right?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey thanks for continuing on to read chapter 2! I think there's only one more after this. Again I have no words for how much I love Hale House. Also I apologize for how dull chases are in text. :(

Stiles glances at Non as they drive out to Hale house, she’s mostly watching out the window, leaning out and closing her eyes.

“What are you a dog? You seriously look like you’re trying to get high off the wind.” Stiles finally has to say.

“Jeeze you have a mouth on you. How do you handle running with werewolves when you’re running your mouth like that?” Non snorts.

“I do alright.” Stiles smirks. “I’m pretty loved.”

“Hahaha I wouldn’t know. All the Hales loathe me. They were ok with Gran but they ran my dad off and when I ended up here they tried everything to run me off too.” Non shrugs, “So which are you friends with…..? And…. Hey wait this is the way to their house…” Non frowned, leaning back in the jeep.

Stiles ducks his head a little and bites his lip.

Non sighs, “They talked you into bringing me there didn’t they…? Crap… Well I get it… I mean all of them are pretty hard to tell no – especially when you’re friends with one of them.”

Stiles looks at her, “All of them?”

“Hahaha come on, that whole huge family? I’m sure if you run with them you know you’re not just the one’s friend… It must be Jane? She was around your age…. Maybe Eric? He’s a year younger than you?”

Stiles turns up the road to the house and he’s tilting his head a little, “Uh… No just Derek…”

“Derek? How did you become friends with him? Not that he didn’t seem like a nice kid… but he’s older…?” Non looks at him, genuinely puzzled.

Stiles is opening his mouth to ask who Jane or Eric were when Non grips the dashboard hard and gasps, “Stop the car!”

Stiles hits his brakes hard enough everything inside lurches, Non bailing out the side and staggering a little. “Non??” He says, getting his belt off and getting out too.

Non has braced her feet apart and is panting, looking like she’s going to be ill. Her whole complexion is waxy and she scrabbles to keep her hood down over her face.

Stiles shudders looking at her, “Non are you ok? What’s happening….?”

“What happened here.” Non gasps. “What….”

Stiles watches her over the hood of the jeep. “It burned down… Well… It was burned down. A rogue hunter…”

“My god.” Non whispers. “And is everyone ok??”

“No… ah… Eight people died.” Stiles says. “Derek and his sister Laura were not there when it happened and Derek’s Uncle Peter made it out but… Well he’s serious psycho damaged goods.”

“What….” Non says softly, her gloved hand gripping a tree near her so hard her arm is shaking. “Do… Are you sure it was a hunter?”

“Yeah… She’s dead… Seriously like almost everyone who was involved is dead as hell now.” Stiles says.

“I have to get a look at it.” Non says, not so much to Stiles but to herself. “Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap…. I have to go look…”

“Well just get in the jeep and I’ll take you there. I’m pretty sure Derek isn’t going to hurt you.” Stiles wheedles.

Non shakes her head, starting to walk up the drive through the trees.

“Non! Non come on! Wait!!” Stiles says, hurrying to get in his jeep and follow.

Stiles is a bit freaked out by Non’s reaction, he can’t even lie to himself. What if Derek is wrong and Non is a good person? A good witch? What if something is wrong. Ok he doesn’t exactly like Hale house himself. It freaks him out a lot to be there. It makes him feel horrible and sad to think Derek is sleeping in there. Not that he believes in ghosts or anything. At least not yet…

When he parks at the front of the house Stiles is a bit baffled to see Derek and the rest of the wolves out on the porch. Especially Peter who is trying not to look concerned at all but is watching him with an intensity that makes him feel ill. What is really odd is Non is standing off to the side, looking up at the worst side of the house, charred and broken and shaking but no one on the porch is reacting at all. He can see her – but they can’t?? “That is so cool….” Stiles says, getting out of the jeep and watching Non.

Derek looks in the direction Stiles is staring and seeing nothing moves down the steps. “Where’s the witch Stiles?!”

Stiles snaps his attention back to Derek, he really can’t see her! “Derek…”

Derek grabs Stiles by the front of his hoodie and slams him into the side of his jeep. “WHERE. IS. THE. WITCH. STILES!?” He screams in his face, his eyes flashing red.

Stiles winces and blinks rapidly, “You can’t see her??? Seriously??”

Peter’s eyes narrow and his head snaps to the side, looking where Stiles had been looking. He hops off the porch lightly and stalks towards Non who sidesteps him, literally cringing away from him. Peter takes several swipes where she had been and huffs angrily. His eyes are so dark and he loses the human mask for a while.

Non just wisely backs up, pressing back against a tree and puking her guts out. The second the vomit hits the ground Peter is on her, swiping madly but Non ducks away, moving past Peter who is trying to cover more ground. “Derek… She is here.”

Derek growls in Stiles’ face and goes to help his uncle. Non moves away from them, moving further and further back from the house and them until she is pressed against the jeep and next to Stiles.

“Stiles… Stay safe… Be good to your friends… Try… Just try and believe in me ok? I’m here to help…” Non whispers to him. Stiles can’t see her eyes but she sounds horribly sad. He watches as she moves past him, around the wolves and ok, that is ridiculously cool!! Moving up into the house and disappearing.

Stiles is so distracted by her movements that he jumps when Peter grabs him by the throat, choking him. “You did this! YOU. Where is she?! You can SEE HER – WHERE IS SHE!!!?”

Stiles’ eyes roll up into his head, gasping, his legs kicking as Scott and the others jump Peter, pulling him off Stiles and away. Derek is there standing between Stiles and Peter, his breathing hard, “Peter! Don’t you dare do that again!”

“Yeah psycho…” Stiles coughs, holding his throat and feeling the scratches along his neck from Peter’s claws.

Derek turns and checks on him, scowling his way through concern and barely checked fury. “This is what a witch does Stiles! She turns us on each other! Why are you trying to protect her!?”

Stiles looks at him and over his shoulder at the rest of the wolves, “I don’t know… I... I don’t know!! It’s just a feeling… Can’t you trust me?”

Peter snarls and Derek turns, quelling him with a glare. Peter pulling himself together with a visible effort, going back to his cool smirking self.

“She’s done something to you, Stiles. She’s cast a spell or something…” Derek says, gripping Stiles’ shoulders and looking at him pityingly.

Stiles feels mad at that, it bubbles up inside him hot and furious. “Why can’t you trust me!! I’d never EVER hurt any of you!”

“You’re not yourself.” Derek says firmly.

Stiles feels something snap inside and yanks away, “Even if I wasn’t me there is no ME that would hurt ANY OF YOU!! Well maybe PETER but he DESERVES IT!!”

Scott steps forward, “Dude, Stiles, calm down….”

Stiles throws off Scott and gets in his jeep, reversing as Derek steps forward to try and stop him. Peter looming behind them and sending a chill up Stiles’ spine.

“If you let him get away the witch will pervert him further…” Peter calls out to Derek, almost in sing-song.

“Crap….” Stiles says, spinning his jeep about and hightailing it out of there, Derek and the pack sprinting into the woods after him. It’s weird, Stiles thinks, normally this wouldn’t be terrifying but something in Peter’s eyes, in his tone… IN THE FACT HE FREAKING CHOKED HIM… He’s running, running from his friends – just like they’d expect… if he was possessed by a witch. And was he? He didn’t think so. Doubt and fear twist up his stomach, he didn’t want this, a flash of a hoodie to the side of the road and Stiles throws the jeep into a turn, skidding out of the woods and onto the main road and swerving to narrowly miss Non who backpedals away from his jeep and off the road.

He stops and waves her over. “What am I doing?? What am I doing???” He chants as she throws herself at the jeep as the pack breaks from the trees. He’s already peeling out again as Non is barely in the jeep, struggling against a broken fir branch that’s bound to her arm.

“What is that??” Stiles yells, swerving all over as Derek starts pelting after him like some sort of Terminator, the camaro shooting out onto the road behind him and slowing only to pick up Derek before giving chase.

Non is struggling to untie a leather strap with crow feathers binding the branch to her, “I had to catch up!” Non gasps, discarding the branch and finally getting the door closed.

“What the hell was that??” Stiles worries, watching the camaro already catching up to them as he twists the wheel and swerves over a curb onto a different street, heading into Beacon Hills.

“Focus on getting us to my place.” Non says, looking behind them and starting to dig in her bag. “I’ll tell you when we’re safe.”

“Safe!? Every single one of my friends now are werewolves or werewolf adjacent and they are AFTER US!” Stiles yells, feeling his world is definitely even more out of control now.

Non presses her palm to his cheek, “It’ll be ok. It’s going to be ok.” Her face doesn’t look convinced but lucky for them both she sounds it. She’s half crawling out of her window the next moment, a piece of chalk gripped in her hand.

“What are you doing???” Stiles screams shrilly. He takes another turn, going over another curb, certain she is going to fly off the jeep but she doesn’t. He can hear the sounds of her marking on the roof of his jeep, then she is back in and marking down the side of the passenger door. “I’m going to hide us.” Non yells, trying to write and almost losing the chalk as they hit another bump in the road.

Stiles yelps as she pushes him, “Roll down your window!” He complies but Stiles is not ready for when Non pushes across him, sending the car swerving all over and forcing the camaro, which has caught up to them, back.

“THIS ISN’T HELPING!!” Stiles screams, bending in half to try and see around her as she leans out his window and writes on his door.

The camaro flies past them suddenly, screeching to a halt, perpendicular in the road. Stiles gasps for air as Non leans back out of the way and he throws the jeep into a turn up onto the sidewalk, clipping a mailbox and slamming back into the road, bouncing as she tries to go back out her window.

“Aren’t you done yet??” Stiles says, looking behind as the camaro starts to chase again.

Non has to half climb out of the window, slicing her thumb on her amulet again and scrawling the activating sigil for her spell. For Stiles and Non not much changes. In the camaro full of werewolves there’s shock. For all intents and purposes, Stiles’ jeep just winked out of existence.

“HE’S GONE!!” Scott yells, hitting Derek and Derek pushing him away.

“He can’t be gone!” Derek snarls.

“I don’t know what you see dude but I DON’T SEE HIS JEEP ANY MORE!!” Scott shouts at him.

Derek rolls down his window, leaning out and scenting the air. “I can smell it.”

“What!?” Scott says.

Derek has to slow down but he can smell it. Stiles, his jeep… And blood.

Stiles has kept up his speed, glancing back in the rear view mirror often. “They slowed down!”

“It’s not a good spell. It’s only going to keep us out of sight for a little while.” Non says worriedly, sucking on her bleeding thumb.

Stiles looks at her and keeps driving. They arrive at the park and Stiles is panicked to see somehow Derek is not that far behind.

“Werewolves do not fight fair!!!” He whines, Non pulling her hood up and down and reaching over to do the same to Stiles. “Run.” Non murmurs.

Non throws herself out the passenger side and across the road, running full tilt, “RUN!!”

Stiles feels that squirrely terror corckscrew up and down his spine and he surges out of the Jeep, running after Non as the camaro careens up onto the sidewalk, almost taking out the merry-go-round.

“STILES!!” Scott yells, “STILES WAIT!!”

Stiles runs as hard as he can because Derek isn’t wasting time for talking, he is running hard and their small lead is narrowing quickly.

Non grabs Stiles’ arm, “Crap! He can see you! Why would you think he’s FAMILY???”

Stiles gasps and glances back, “I’m sorry!!! HE JUST IS! THEY ALL ARE!!”

Non makes a distressed sound, yanking him through the brambles just outside her clearing as Derek’s claws grasp the back of his hoodie.

Stiles hears the fabric tear as they fall through, rolling across the ground of the cleaning and landing in a gasping heap as the crows take to the air, all of them cawing.

Derek stumbles, looking stupidly at his hand where red threads dangle from his fingers but all the scents of Stiles, old and immediate just end. “STILES!!” He yells.

Scott paces at the line where all the scents end. “What’s happening Derek???”

Derek grips the threads in his hand and looks around, bewildered, “He’s gone Scott… He’s just gone…”

\+ + +

Stiles isn’t sure how long they lay there in a heap. He feels ridiculous running from the pack. Not that he hasn’t had to in the past – you know – when they were trying to kill him. But this was new. He sits up but Non is spent, laying on her side and literally gasping and coughing as she tries to get her breath back.

“What the hell was all that….” Stiles asks finally when Non’s breathing evens out. “Seriously what the hell, Non??”

Non’s breathing catches and he turns to look at her and she’s sobbing.

“What!” Stiles says, shuffling over, “Are you hurt??”

Non shakes her head, sitting up and pushing the heels of her hands into her eyes to stop the tears. “My god….” She grits out and sobs harder.

Stiles reaches out, gripping her shoulder and unsure how to comfort someone his dad’s age. “Hey… Hey now…. Hey…” He manages, feeling stupid and rolling his eyes at himself.

Non gets a grip on herself and gets up, wiping her face on her scarf a little, “Sorry… Sorry… I just…. Let’s get inside.” She murmurs, motioning him up into the house.

Stiles follows her up the path and into the house, “You said you’d explain.”

“And I will!” Non says sharply, but continues a bit more gently. “I will… I just… I’m making us tea. I need tea. Do you need tea?”

“You’re babbling a bit.” Stiles points out.

“I know.” Non says, dropping her bag and yanking off her hood.

Non pumped water into the kettle and stirred the banked fire in the stove to life, adding some more dry wood to build it up. She gets down two different teacups, Stiles grimacing.

“So… They can’t get in here?” Stiles asks finally.

“No.” Non replies, sounding somehow older, more worn down. She’s always seemed frail to Stiles but now she seems more so. “For them it’s like a line in the forest. Where you were and then nothing. They’re still out there. All of them now…”

Stiles glances at the door, almost feeling like they would be beating their way in but he has no idea how.

The kettle starts to whistle and Non jumps three foot, it’s startling to Stiles when she suddenly leaps away from the stove, her hands shaking as she yanks the kettle off the stove and pours it in the teapot.

For Non, making the tea is a calming ritual, boil water, pour it in a teapot, swirl it around… Empty. Add tea. Add water… Wait. She grips the counter, leaning over the teapot and breathes.

“Tell me about Peter.” Non says, startling Stiles.

“What’s to tell? He’s a murdering creeper! He’s the one who bit my friend, he killed tons of people, he hurt Lydia, and… And…” Stiles falters. “Ok maybe he was kind of justified…? On a psycho level? He did kill everyone who murdered the Hales… But he killed Laura, that’s Derek’s sister, to become the Alpha.”

“Peter’s the Alpha?” Non looks at him, shocked.

“What? No. Not anymore. When we all killed him again Derek finished him off and now he’s the Alpha. A pretty terrible one too. Well he was terrible? He’s kind of good now? Maybe?” Stiles babbles out.

“But Peter’s not dead.” Non states, staring at him hard.

“Well no, not now. He was buried under Hale house and he haunted Lydia! And she brought him back somehow…” Stiles says, looking at Non who is as white as a sheet.

“Are you ok?” He asks, half rising off the couch. “You look….”

“Peter came back from the dead and was buried under that house….?” Non murmurs softly, “He was in there when it was torched and he was the only one to make it out?”

Stiles nods and he watches her sort of quietly fall apart. Non pushes her hands into her face and hunkers on the floor in the kitchen, “No. No. Just… No.” She repeats firmly. “NO.”

Stiles gets up, going and sort of hovering, “What... What’s happening? What… I mean there’s a lot here I just don’t understand! I’m putting my LIFE at risk here!! You can’t clam up and NOT EXPLAIN!!”

Non finishes crumpling to the floor and grips the top of his foot which, startles Stiles and yet he feels oddly comforted.

“Ok.” She whispers. “Ok. Pour me a cup of tea and sit because I won’t make it to the couch.”

Stiles pours them both tea and adds a large amount of sugar to his, getting some of the cookies he’d bought and handing them to her. “Here, cookies help. Trust me! It’s like a pill. A cookies make everything better pill.” Stiles sits with their tea and helps himself to some cookies. Yeah… He totally needs some cookies right now.

\+ + +

Isaac, Erica, and Boyd stand in the woods calmly, their hands in the pockets of their leather jackets, heads moving in unison as they pan back and forth watching Derek and Scott pacing the invisible line that divides “Stiles was here” from “where the hell is Stiles.”

Derek can’t squelch the feeling of panic swirling in his guts, the witch has Stiles. The witch has one of his pack, she’s lured him away. “This is all your damn fault Scott.” He snarls.

“My fault???” Scott snaps, “It’s YOUR FAULT! IT’S ALWAYS YOUR FAULT!!”

Derek snarls and Isaac clears his throat, “Uh…. So… Witches are real?”

“YES!” Scott and Derek snarl at him, and to his credit Isaac doesn’t flinch.

“Well…” Isaac continues calmly, “It’s just maybe we should talk to Deaton?”

Derek pauses and looks at Isaac. “That… That’s a good idea actually.”

“No it isn’t.” Peter says, stepping up behind Isaac, making all three of the pack melt away from him. “I think we need to not get anyone else involved in this. Deaton will be as easy for her to corrupt as poor little human Stiles.”

Scott whirls on him, “What are you saying!? We don’t trust you Peter!”

Peter smiles, “I think in this… I am a bit more knowledgeable than you Scott. After all – I know who this is. And I know now that she’s turned Stiles… We have to kill him too.”

“WHAT?? NO!!” Scott snarls, lunging at Peter but Derek holds him back.

“We’re not killing Stiles.” Derek says firmly.

Peter tuts at them, shaking his head, “This isn’t the time for sentimentality Derek. He’s not a wolf, he’s not really pack. He doesn’t belong. And now he’s chosen his side. He’s helping her. They’re going to tear down this pack around your ears.”

Derek stares hard at Peter, “No one is going to hurt my pack, not any of them.” He walks slowly forward until he is nose to nose with Peter, “And that includes Stiles.”

Peter looks bland but Derek knows he needs to watch him even closer now.

\+ + +

Stiles watches Non chew her cookie slowly and drink her tea. He wants to rush her, he wants to yell COME ON!! In fact he keeps choking it back, biting into cookie after cookie savagely and feeling his agitation grow.

“You know how people can get stressed to a breaking point?” Non whispers, staring at her tea.

Stiles nods slightly but she continues before he can say yeah.

“They get so much horror, so much hurt, so much pain… too much… Piled on and on more and more until something breaks. Until they break. And they detach from sanity… Just… cut loose into the depths of madness….” Non sighs, looking at him.

Stiles is squirming, worried she is saying she’s gone crazy. Oh god don’t go crazy there’s tea and cookies in an impromptu teaparty on the floor!

“Places… can do that too.” Non says, meeting his eyes. “Some places are just bad… They’re just naturally bad… They’re fine… as far as bad goes but they call out to worse things. They get worse… But… What we have here is a good place… A very good place. A place that was alive, that loved, that…” Non takes a sip of her tea, the cup clattering against her teeth. “When a place like that is put through an event… A trauma… it can be broken. I mean… It’s a way of generating a lot of power if you’re sick enough to want it like that. Humans have sacrificed humans forever because it gives off so much useable energy – enough to power gods. Supernatural people give off much much more… That all those people died in there, burnt. Fire is old magic, the oldest magic there is maybe… They were burned alive Stiles.”

Stiles can’t help but stare at her, the fragility he’d always associated with her, stripping away to reveal a steel he would have never known was there. Non’s eyes are furious, her hands shaking not with fear but rage.

“That place was tainted. Sickened… Driven mad and it’s working in its own interests now. And… That’s not Peter.”

“Wh-what do you mean that’s not Peter?” Stiles gulps.

“Maybe he is still in there… Maybe he’s not… The house spat him out once, it needed him. Losing everything it grabbed onto the one thing it could and pushed. It’s patient. You have to understand that – the house is insane but it is patient. It’s not… I can’t believe he’s been reborn from inside the house a second time. I’ve only heard… Horrors…. All the stories of those sorts of horrors… I didn’t think it could happen in this day and age. Not here. God…” Non grimaces, looking in Stiles’ eyes.

“What… What does it mean, Non? The house is evil? I mean… come on. Come on. That’s….” Stiles stumbles over the words, his face disbelieving. "Houses don't have brains! They don't think!"

Non sighs and looks at him, “I know. I know. But you know how you can walk into someplace and everything feels creepy or wrong or you get that chill up your spine or you just feel like you have to get out of there?”

Stiles shrugs and nods, “Well yeah… But it’s not…”

“Stiles… You have to believe me on this. What happened at the Hale house… What happened TO the Hale house… It’s gone as bad as anything can go. And all that power that all that death made it’s just sitting there, rotting. Festering like a diseased wound. And it will keep drawing things to it. Horrible things. It’s like a beacon – Beacon Hills will be living up to its name and it will keep drawing in every wretched thing within a thousand miles! And that’s if it doesn’t just warp what is here!”

Stiles stands up, “They’re right. You’re crazy! Non this is CRAZY!! It’s just a HOUSE!!”

“Think about your friends Stiles.” Non pleads. “Werewolves are really susceptible to this influence. Are they easily angered? Do they seem to choose a violent way over thinking things through? The longer they are in and around that house the more it can work on them, sucking out the joy they feel, making it hard for them to remember good things... And they will, Stiles. It'll pick them apart from the inside."

Stiles stares at her, thinking about Derek. Derek was always calmer when he hadn’t been sleeping at that burnt out wreck. He’d be sassier, he’d smile sometimes, he’d just seem to be better. Since he’d started living in that house again, living there with Peter… He’d backslid… Stiles had noticed it but thought maybe he just needed time.

Non touches his shoe again, startling Stiles out of his thoughts. “This is nothing I can take care of today. I’m… I need to plan. I have to work out how… How in the hell I am going to try and cleanse that place…” Non sighs, resting her face in her hands. “I’ll need your help Stiles. I’m going to need your belief.. and… You need to get some Mountain Ash.”

“Oh well god let me just go to Target and pick up a big sack of Mountain Ash! Why don’t you have any??” Stiles laments, throwing his hands up because he’s already agreeing. Yes, this is him agreeing… To help a witch stop an evil ruin of a werewolf house my god is this his life??

“Witches are deathly allergic to Mountain Ash – it’s made from Rowan.” Non says with a grimace.

Stiles gapes at her and closes his mouth, “Oh. Well.”

Non finishes her tea. “Don’t come back for a while.”

“What the hell do you mean don’t come back? Of course I’ll come back!” Stiles protests.

“Not for a while! God! You need to settle with your friends… They probably think you’re in cahoots with me!” Non insists.

“Cahoots? Cahoots really.” Stiles snorts. “Cahoots!”

“Stop saying cahoots!” Non grumbles.

“You said it first. And we are you know. In Cahoots. This is a cahoot playhouse.” Stiles smiles, needing to hold onto something funny because if he thinks about Hale house too much he is going to have a fit or cry. He gets up to leave but Non grasps his wrist.

"Help me up. I've got something for you." Non says, letting him pull her up. It surprised him how light she is, almost nonexistent. 

"What is it? It's not frog eyes or anything is it?" Stiles asks worriedly. 

Non gives him a small grin, digging in her bag and coming up with the leather strap adorned with crow feathers and a shaped piece of wood.

"Ok, this will work best for you." She presents him with the piece of wood first.

Stiles turns it over in his hands, "Non this looks like brass knuckles." He traces the odd symbols and Latin carved into it. It's definitely old, worn smooth from use and the wood discolored by... Well he has no idea what by and he's definitely sure he doesn't want to.

"Aside from the brass you're right." Non says, slipping it over his fingers. "Now, say you're being attacked..."

Stiles grimaces. "I know I'm just human."

"Yes? So? You need to be, and be a Believer to get this to work. Like I said, someone comes in to attack you you hit them with that, hard as you like - it'll take the strength of what they intend to do to you and translate that into how hard you hit them. For you it just feels like popping someone, but for them... The guy I took this off of I personally saw send a demon flying end over end and through a wall and it was pudding before impact."

"Ah... That is a terrible word picture and please never taint pudding that way again... So was the guy dead?" Stiles asks, not sure a bit of wood is going to be that awesome but... He's hopeful.

"Oh no, Father Sebastian is very alive and probably enjoying an espresso in Rome right now. I stole it off him after he punched out a tooth. A wisdom tooth!" Non sighs, "Anyway, keep that on... I'd really planned for the hood to keep you safe. Now, gift number two."

Non slips the leather cord into his hand, "You asked about this earlier. It's my Gran's flying charm. Anyone can use it but its not... Easy. Anyway. You need a freshly broken fir branch - a big one! Like you’d use for a broom. Has to be broken - not cut! You wrap the cord around your wrist twice and the branch four times. Then point the broken end and jump in the direction you want to go and hang on."

Stiles stares at her and it. "...Are you serious?" Ok it's awesome if this is real, Stiles feels the excitement of magic replacing the sick cold worry about a house being insane or Peter being a bigger nightmare than he was already.

“Just… try and make up with your friends. Stay away for a few weeks…” Non tells him gently. “I have a lot of things to get in order and… And I need your support to be firm for after I’m done.”

Stiles slouches slightly, “I… Thanks… I mean I just want to be sure they’re alright… In case this is all real…”

Non looks up at him and shakes her head, “Believe me… This is all frighteningly real. And... Stay away from that house.”

\+ + +

It’s well past dark when Stiles leaves, Non extracting all sorts of promises from him to not come back, but if he has a problem to run there as fast as he can. It’s unsettling but nice for Stiles, she trusts him to go and deal with his friends and this mess they made today. She trusts him to stay away from the Hale House. She trusts him to come back. If there is one thing in the world Stiles treasures it’s people’s trust in him.

He steps over the boundary of her clearing and the forest and yelps when he is immediately snatched off his feet, dragged through the brambles and shaken. He can’t see by the moonlight and he punches wildly with the magic knuckles, magic fingers??, still on his hand and... Of course nothing happens.

“What the hell Stiles?” Derek growls, his eyes flashing red.

Stiles sags in his grip, relieved, but disappointed. He’d really love to see if these things work like how Non says they work. “Derek! Hey! Funny running into you here...”

Derek sets Stiles on his feet but he’s still gripping him by the front of his hoodie. “Are you ok?”

“I know. I wasn’t running from you man I... Wait what?” Stiles had already started babbling an explanation but what Derek actually asked clicks through.

“Are you ok?” Derek repeats slowly for him, like he’s stupid.

“...Yeah, I’m good. Bit of a shaken baby syndrome from you grabbing me just now but I’m good. Real good.” Stiles says.

Derek sighs, shoving Stiles back against the brambles a little, “You scared the hell out of all of us! Why did you run?”

“I dunno - maybe Peter trying to kill me?” Stiles says angrily, a little tangled in the thorns.

“I wouldn’t let him hurt you.” Derek tells him, his voice dripping with frustration.

“Right, tell that to my neck man.” Stiles rolls his eyes, getting free of the brambles and staggering out, tripping a bit in the dark.

“Stiles.” Derek sighs, “I know you’d never hurt any of us... I know it. But witches -”

“Just don’t ok?” Stiles cuts him off. “I’m ok. I am me. I’m not possessed. I’m not a puppet. I swear to you Derek. So just... drop it ok? Please? This is me asking you please. Please let it go. And... And please stop sleeping at that burned out wreck of a house for a while.”

Stiles starts heading for his car, Derek following him sounding puzzled, “But... What’s my house got to do with anything? It’s MY HOUSE.”

“It’s dangerous. You don’t want to be that guy do you? That guy who sleeps in the actual physical manifestation of his personal horror. I mean... You don’t have to - so don’t.” Stiles looks over his shoulder to see if Derek is mad and walks into a tree. “Oufff!”

Derek grabs him by the back of his collar and shakes his head, “I like my house. I should be there. Why does it bother you where I sleep!?”

Stiles sighs, “Why does it bother you I ran away?”

Derek shakes him a little, “You’re!!! You’re you Stiles! Stupid! And reliable... When you don’t act like yourself...” He growls and shakes Stiles a little more.

Stiles clings to a nearby tree to stop being shaken like a toy. “HEY HEY HEY! I am a genuine fragile human here! Be careful!”

“You are a genuine pain in the genuine ass.” Derek snarls and lets go of him as they enter the park.

Stiles slips and lands on his ass and laughs a little, “You were worried sick!”

“You make me sick.” Derek says, kicking Stiles lightly, “Stay away from that witch... if you go back to her I might start believing Peter.”

Stiles looks up at him, “That I’m trying to destroy the pack???” He eeps.

“That you’re a literal tool of that witch and we should kill you.” Derek says softly. “For the time being you should definitely keep away from Peter.”

“Oh my god, that’s only been my motto for the rest of my life. Keep away from Creeper Peter.” Stiles grumbles, brushing his hands and the butt of his jeans off as he stands.

Derek pauses under a streetlight and looks at Stiles, his brow furrowing. “Stiles... Are you sure you’re ok? I need to know I can count on you.”

“Of course! I’m fine! I am! And you can count on me. You can.” Stiles grins and shrugs.

“You’re always...” Derek scowled darkly, “You’re always the most annoying... yet... I know when everything goes to hell you’re going to be the one who helps me hold shit together Stiles. So... Stay ok. Ok?” He shoves Stiles a little, still frowning and heads to his car.

Stiles grins, “You TOTALLY were worried about me!!!”

Derek rolls his eyes and gets in his camaro and waves Stiles to get in his jeep. Stiles looks at him like he’s stupid for a moment then when Derek gestures more agitatedly out of his window he gets in and heads for home, Derek following him all the way there and watching him go inside before leaving.

\+ + +

Stiles fixed a great dinner for himself and his dad - salad. His dad looked at it and he cried. Stiles tells himself it was because it was so good, the Sheriff knows it is because he is being destroyed by this enforced diet and the love his son has for him. This terrible, abusive, love.

Stiles heads up to his room, needing to get a jump on his homework and is shocked to find Scott waiting for him. Stiles jumps about three foot back into the wall and grimaces, “Oh my god Scott! What the hell man!”

“That’s what I want to know dude!!” Scott growls, “What the hell!! You ran away from us! You ran away from me! I wouldn’t let any of those jerks hurt you and you take off running! Do you know how much I freaked out when your jeep and you just VANISHED???!”

Scott raises his eyebrows. “It seriously vanished?”

“Don’t say it’s awesome!” Scott snaps, “I was scared ok?? I was scared for you! You’re just...”

“Just HUMAN?” Stiles snarls, “That’s what you’re gonna say right Scott?? I think you need to sit your wolfy ass down and remember that for the longest time the biggest danger to me was YOU dude! And I handled you just fine! I can handle this just fine! What the hell kind of upside down world is this when DEREK is trusting me more than YOU!?”

“Don’t yell at me! And don’t think I don’t know you’re human! I wish I still was! You are always telling me how great I am and how I should do things now and use this ‘gift’ but you’re always getting in the middle of all this awful stuff Stiles! What if Peter’s right?!” Scott hisses at him.

Stiles rolls his eyes and throws his hands up in exasperation, “Are you kidding me?? You’re seriously going to believe anything Peter says?? And just a little FYI, this witch you guys are all hating on so much has been really incredibly kind to me.”

“Stiles...” Scott whines, “Why aren’t you listening to me? My instincts are telling me...”

“No.” Stiles says firmly. “Just no. Ok? Just let it go. I’m not going back there.” For a while... He adds mentally so Scott can’t hear his lie. “So let’s hang out after practice tomorrow. Ok?”

“I can’t...” Scott says worriedly, “Allison and I...”

“It’s fine.” Stiles says flatly. “If we’re done here can I get on my homework? I’ve got an actual GPA to keep up.”

Scott grimaces, “Stiles...”

“I know. I know.” Stiles says, pushing himself into his computer chair and waving Scott away.

When Scott leaves, Stiles puts his head down on his desk and sighs, turning the wooden knuckles over in his hand and chewing on his lip. Maybe tomorrow he’ll check out the flying charm... The knuckles had been a real disappointment.

\+ + +

After school Stiles heads into the woods by the school over driving home. He’s still in his pads and such for lacrosse because Non had said the flying charm was a little much to control. He was nothing if not Mr. Safety after all. He wanders through the trees until he finds a nice pine tree, it’s taller than he is and the bottom branch looks to be big enough to use like a broom. He tests it, trying to snap it off.

“Wow this is... harder than I thought.” Stiles grunts to himself, he’s standing on the branch to break it but it just bends, he jumps up and down on it and is rewarded with a slight creak. No break though. Stiles steps off and the branch stays bent downwards. “Crap...” He sighs.

“What are you doing?” Isaac asks, leaning over Stiles’ shoulder, already changed.

“Nothing.” Stiles says, trying to look innocent. “Just... pruning?”

Isaac looks at him and at the tree and then back to him. “Stiles...?”

Stiles grits his teeth, “Ok! I was trying to break that branch there.”

Isaac looks at it and kneels, gripping it between his hands he snaps off the branch easily, dropping it at Stiles’ feet.

“...Thanks.” Stiles grits out between his teeth.

Isaac smiles, “No problem.” He stands there watching Stiles lift the branch. “You have odder hobbies than I imagined.”

“Then don’t watch.” Stiles says, getting up. “Wait... Derek has you watching me doesn’t he...”

Isaac shrugs as an answer. “Peter’s back to normal but he was really pitching hard for killing you.”

Stiles rolls his eyes, “Well that’s better than how he was acting before.”

Isaac shakes his head, “You want someone wanting you dead?”

“The alternative is worse - trust me.” Stiles says, digging the flight charm out of his pocket and wrapping it around his wrist, gripping the branch and starting to wrap it around it.

“What is that?” Isaac asks.

Stiles finishes wrapping and feels - nothing. “Nothing I guess? Wait... Point it....” Stiles points the branch back through the trees. “And jump in that direction...”

Stiles gives a little hop, expecting nothing but... Nothing is not what he gets.

At the apex of his little hop the branch lunges forward, Stiles gripping it convulsively and screaming as he and it streak away. Stiles tries to get his legs wrapped around it so he can be ON it but branch rotates him towards the ground. When he tries to move the other way it spins in that direction instead, Stiles spinning around on it faster and faster until his grip slips and he hits the ground, rolling end over end as the branch rustles over him and they skid to a halt near the treeline. Stiles groans, glad for his lacrosse pads but wishing there was more. The mask of his helmet caked in leaf litter and dirt.

Isaac presses a hand to his side, “Are you ok?? What the hell was that??”

“That was AWESOME!!” Stiles gasps, doing a pained fistpump.

Isaac grasps the front of his helmet and shakes his head to clear out the dirt, Stiles yelping. “Ah!! Dude!! You’re killin me!!” He bats Isaac away and stands shakily.

“I’m trying that again.” Stiles grins.

Isaac grabs the branch worriedly, “No you’re not!”

Stiles pulls at the branch, the boys playing a tug of war over it until Isaac yanks back on it and it pulls Stiles into a slight hop, the branch shooting straight up and dragging both boys along with it. Thankfully it’s large enough that they can both gets their legs wrapped around it, as they shoot up out of the trees, Isaac and Stiles both screaming now because it was all fun and games to shoot off horizontally but... Vertical could be the death of Stiles and he is realizing it now.

“Oh my god!” Stiles yells, pulling on the branch and it changes direction, still moving way too fast as he tries not to crash straight back down. Isaac screams as they dip back into the trees and then crash into the branches of an oak. Stiles clings to the fir branch while hugging the trunk of the oak and groaning as he dangles like a dead squirrel, his legs gripping hard to not fall.

Isaac groans himself, his arm having broken as he hit the tree and fell on the ground, but it heals and he sits up. “STOP MESSING WITH THAT THING!!”

“That’s seriously the first time you have ever yelled dude.” Stiles groans, but he completely agrees, unwrapping the cord from the branch and letting it fall. The branch hits Isaac square on the face. “Sorry!” Stiles calls down to him, shifting a little to try and change his position in the tree. Stiles looks down and starts climbing down, already feeling every ache and pain and forming bruise. He slips when he is near the lowest branch, still a good 8 foot off the ground and falls flat of his back with a long agonized groan.

“I don’t think you should ever do that again. Ever.” Isaac says helpfully and hits Stiles with the branch.

Stiles grunts. “Right....”

Isaac helps him up and shakes his head, “I can’t believe sometimes that you’re someone dependable at all.”

Stiles crawls down the trunk of the tree and gasps, oh... he would feel all of that in the morning. “Believe it.”

Isaac shakes his head and follows him to the locker room.

“Don’t watch me in the showers.” Stiles teases. “I know it’s hard to resist this but I’m saving myself.”

Isaac rolls his eyes and waits outside. “So... Witches.”

“Not you too!!” Stiles yells, cleaning up.

“No I mean. I didn’t know they were... real.” Isaac shrugs, but he realizes Stiles can’t see that so he folds his arms instead.

“Neither did I before! And... They’re not that scary really.” Stiles says. “Well not this one anyway.”

“Did she give you that... thing? I mean... Maybe she is trying to kill you.” Isaac says, but he has to admit... That was kind of cool.

“Yeah. She gave it to me. She warned me to be careful though. I think practicing in an open field might be a better idea.” Stiles says, coming out of the shower and drying himself off as he heads to his locker. “She’s seriously not dangerous at all. I mean. I know no one believes me. But I really don’t think she’d hurt anyone. If you get to see her she’s like... Old...er. Older like my Dad. And scrawny. And she tires out easily.”

Isaac tilts his head and looks bothered, “But she’s a witch. Can’t they do curses and things? I mean... Derek and Peter both really freaked out.”

“Not this one. Well... Ok she could but she told me all about the kind of magic she does.” Stiles shrugs. “And I’m telling you - she is not scary.”

“What kind of magic does she do?” Isaac asks softly.

Stiles looks at him and furrows his brow. “Hey Isaac... Where’ve you been sleeping lately?”

“At the house with Derek and Peter.” Isaac replies, looking at Stiles sharply. “So... what kind of magic does she do?”

Stiles does his best to not look nervous at how much Isaac’s tone has shifted. He gathers his things quickly and heads for the door, Isaac blocking him sending a chill up his spine but not scaring him - yet. “Isaac... What’s up?”

“Don’t avoid my question Stiles.” Isaac says, his hands on the walls sprouting claws and screeching as he walks towards Stiles. “What kind of magic?”

“I don’t remember...” Stiles murmurs, backstepping from Isaac. “You do remember Derek sent you to watch me right? You were worried about me being ok?? Remember??”

Isaac frowns and stares at him. He pulls his arms in, his claws retracting and he folds his arms again, looking puzzled, “Yeah... I remember...”

Stiles dodges around him. “Good! Hey. Later.” He says and walking backwards as Isaac follows him out he hurries to his jeep, getting in and driving home fast. Stiles hurried up into his room and shut the door tightly behind him, leaned on it panting. “Oh my god... Oh my god he wasn’t himself at all... He was going to kill me!!!” Stiles mutters to himself, turning so he can lock the window and screaming as he spots Derek sitting calmly on the sill.

“AAAUUUGHHHH OH MY GOD DEREK WHAT THE HELL!!” Stiles grips his own chest, bending in half and trying not to pass out, all this on top of his bruises which - yes are complete agony now that the adrenaline is wearing off.

“Who was going to kill you?” Derek asks, he puts aside the book he was reading and stands, “Jesus Stiles, you’re black and blue!” Everything on Derek’s face says - what the hell is wrong with you.

Stiles drops his book back and flails a little, “You do not get to lecture me!! AND OW!!!” He stops flailing, Flailing was a totally poor choice of things to do with his hurt body right now. “You get to go away now. Go. Please. Leave me here to die in peace.”

Derek snorts and sits again, “You can’t do anything peacefully. “

“And you don’t listen to what I say ever. I want you to goooo....” Stiles says.

“Nooooooo....” Derek smirks, “Did the witch do that to you?”

“NO!” Stiles says and flops onto his bed with a moan. “Maybe.”

All the banter goes out of Derek as he lurches upright in the chair, “What??”

“Not her personally - she gave me this charm. A flying charm... Flying on a branch is really dangerous. And Isaac. Ffff..... He was ZERO help. He almost killed us both.” Stiles mumbles into his pillow.

Derek is apoplectic. “Flight Charm??? FLIGHT CHARM?? What does that even mean Stiles!? 

What were you thinking?? Don’t just lay there dying!” He stands and turns Stiles over forcibly, eliciting a whimper and a grunt out of Stiles. Derek smacks him square in the stomach with an open palm. Not hard, but it’s enough to make Stiles curl up in pain.

“WHAT THE HELL MAN!!!??” Stiles yells, laying there groaning.

“What did I tell you about witches, Stiles??? WHAT DID I TELL YOU?” Derek throws his hands up, “Why are you so determined to kill yourself huh??”

Stiles doesn't answer, playing dead in the vain hope Derek will not maul him and just go away. It's supposed to work for bears - why not werewolves?? Derek leans over him, "Stiles? Stiles!!"

Stiles grimaces, "Just stop touching me...... Ok?"

Derek pushes Stiles' shoulder into the bed then sits back in the chair. "Why did she give you a flying charm?"

Stiles sighs. "I don't know."

"I think she knew your dumb ass would kill yourself with it. So will you listen to me now?" Derek asks, everything in his expression saying he knows better and everyone should listen to him.

That really rankled Stiles. "Everything was fine until Isaac started trying to yank it away." 

Derek grins, "Then next time don't get him involved in your idiocy?"

"I didn't! You did!! Sending him to keep an eye on me." Stiles grumbles sourly.

"I didn't tell him to keep an eye on you..." Derek says, a spike of panic flooding Stiles' stomach.

Stiles fidgets worriedly, “That... That’s....”

Derek grips Stiles’ arm. “You’re ok. It’s ok. I don’t know why he told you that but I’ll find out.”

“He said it because he’s on Team Peter whose cheer must be DEATH TO STILES! OH MY GOD!!” Stiles says, wiggling in agonized terror.

Derek sighs, rubbing his face, “Stiles calm down no one is going to kill you. No one in the pack is going to hurt you. I know you don’t trust me about this but we are your friends. We want you to be safe and in one piece!”

Stiles sighs, “Right... Which is why the only time any of you make time for me is because you need something?”

Derek gives him a look, “Seriously? Seriously Stiles?? What do you want a parade?”

“No! But... I don’t feel...” Stiles clams up, god. He sounded like an idiot.

“I don't always feel like I belong either.” Derek admits. “Half the time I don't even know why I bit anyone... Like it was all for the wrong reasons but - I can’t undo it. You do too much Stiles but... I don’t know where we’d be without you.”

Stiles stares at him, “Holy shit. Who are you? Where is Derek Hale??”

Derek rolls his eyes and gets up to leave.

“Wait...” Stiles sits up and grunts, his abused muscles stiffening up. “You’re not sleeping at your house right?”

“Stiles. Again??” Derek glares.

Stiles thinks about it a while and then with a head dip he sighs hugely. “The witch. She thinks something’s wrong with your house.”

“What?” Derek asks coldly.

“She thinks it’s gone... Crazy?” Stiles watches Derek’s face to see if he is going to think he is crazy or if he is going to have a personality change like Isaac had.

Derek sits back down and looks at him incredulously, “Stiles... You’re a smart guy - houses don’t go crazy.”

Stiles gestures his exasperation, “Thanks for the news flash Cronkite. She says it’s possible though. She says... She says what Kate did... That it tainted your whole place... And it’s gone crazy... and is using Peter to act out.”

Derek just stares at him and starts to chuckle a little, “...Are you joking? I mean... How can you not see through that?”

Stiles fidgets, starting to doubt now. “It does sound nutty as a Payday.” He bites his lower lip, chewing on it as he thinks it over. “Have you ever encountered a witch before?”

“According to Peter we’ve encountered this witch before. We used to have a truce with the older one but... Her son was a different sort of witch. The kind that would kill a werewolf to grind up their bones to work spells. Do you know they really prize the bones of young werewolves??” Derek shudders, as a kid his mom had told them what to look out for, how witches like that would do anything for a fresh skeleton of a young werewolf.

“...Non isn't like that.” Stiles says.

“Non isn't even her real name! How can you put so much trust in someone you just MET? Who broke into your HOUSE!” Derek asks.

Stiles shrugs a little, “I dunno... I just do.”

Derek stares at him, pained, “Why can you believe me that this is bad news? You’re gonna get hurt. If you keep trusting her you’re going to get us all hurt...”

Stiles sighs, putting his arm up to cover his face. “I’m keeping healthy doubt alive ok? Anyway... You saw her. She’s so... unthreatening. The kind of witch she is... It doesn’t seem like she could just - you know... Throw down on us all like haha! surprise attack!”

Derek’s brows are completely furrowed. “Bullshit, Stiles. You can’t have this both ways.”

Stiles is quiet and after a bit Derek leans forward, “Stiles?” The reply he gets back is a snore. Derek rolls his eyes and climbs out the window.

\+ + +

A week passes before Stiles starts to think that he needs to visit Non. Just to check in. Just to say hi. Just to bring more food, she should be out of it right? It hovers at the edge of this thoughts until he is suitably distracted. He hasn’t been hanging around Hale house that is for sure and surprisingly - neither have Derek or Isaac. Stiles can’t say he isn’t unhappy about it. Especially when Derek comes climbing in his window on a night his dad is working late.

Derek yelps as his foot on the window sill slips and he almost racks himself, “SHIT!”

Stiles turns in his computer chair, his fingers steepled like a Bond villain. “I greased my window. You should still knock you know?”

Derek sits on Stiles’ bed and picks up a book laying by the pillow. “Maybe I won’t tell you what I came here to say.”

Stiles gives up his villain persona like it’s a used tissue, “Wait? What? No! Tell me! Dude you never tell me anything! Talk!”

Derek grins, “Peter won’t leave the house. So. I...” He purses his lips, obviously not wanting to keep going.

“You think something is seriously wrong with him.” Stiles says slyly.

Derek shrugs, “Peter can be pretty single minded and tends to do whatever he wants but... He’s really stuck on killing you and the witch. I’ve been really...insistent on him not touching you but he won’t give it up.”

Stiles gives a small smile, “You’ve been roughing up your uncle for me? Thanks. And I mean that sincerely. Your uncle is a creeper and a murderer so if he wasn’t the last sad bit of your family you have left I would totally help you put him back in the ground again.”

Derek shrugs and spreads his hands in agreement. “The point is... I want to hear more about this theory. I can admit I don’t know everything...”

“Wait!” Stiles holds up his hands, “Clearly you’re possessed by the house and trying to wheedle your way close enough to kill all of us.” He grins hugely and laughs when Derek rolls his eyes.

“I want to throw you out a window sometimes.” Derek sighs, throwing the book at Stiles who catches it and laughs.

“I was thinking I’d want to take Non some food and... Yanno, check in and all but she said to keep away so I stay in your good graces.” Stiles leans back and grins. “But I bet if I asked she would meet with you.”

Derek looks skeptical, “I’m pretty sure she won’t meet with me. But you can go do that thing you do where you keep pestering someone until they tell you everything just to shut you up.”

Stiles looks blandly offended, “You are just jealous because my technique works.”

Derek snorts and shakes his head. Stiles bounces up though, “Come on let’s go.”

When Derek laughs, Stiles gives him a look, “Were you serious or not?”

“We’re not going over there tonight. Tomorrow. Skip school. I’ll meet you there.” Derek stands up and frowns a bit, “And don’t let Peter near you... Ok? I don’t think he’ll leave the house but...”

Stiles smiles and shrugs, “I get it. I don’t ever want to let your uncle anywhere near me ever again. So yeah... No problem.”

Derek nods and carefully leaves, leaning back in the window and pointing at the sill, “And Stiles? Clean this up. If I slip again I will kill you myself.”

\+ + +

Skipping school the next morning, Stiles arrives early and strikes off through the woods sounding like a herd of elephants. Hearing a growl, Stiles turns to see if it’s Derek and feels a cold frisson as he sees a wolfed out Peter advancing on him swiftly. Stiles feels his body move even as his brain is trying to slow down enough for it to keep up. His arms extending so he can see he is in his hoodie, reaching up and yanking the hood down over his face and running towards the brambles.

Peter skids into the spot Stiles left, snarling and moving his hands around, searching. Shivering in his hoodie, Stiles silently thanks Non for the gift of this hoodie and the fact that no one in their right mind would ever consider Peter family.

“STILES!!” Peter snarls through too large teeth, spittle flowing as if rabid. Peter keeps searching near there, getting a grip, calling out sweetly but Stiles is no moron, he keeps the hood pulled low and runs as fast as he can the whole way to the brambles, looking over his shoulder and gasping at the stitch in his side. He tops a small rise, nearly there and hazards a glance back and runs square into Derek.

Derek grips Stiles’ arms hard, staring at him and wondering why Stiles’ heart is literally jumping out of his chest, his limbs twitching with adrenalyn so strong he can taste the smell of it on him.

“Stiles!” Derek says, shaking him and making Stiles inhale a jerky but deep breath.

“Peter.” Stiles pants out, gripping Derek and pushing past him, hell bent on getting himself through the brambles and into the safe zone of Non’s home.

“Wait!” Derek says, trying to recapture him. “Wait!!” Stiles falls backwards through the brambles, Derek trying to catch him and hold him upright.

Stiles’ hood falls back as he gasps out a thanks but Derek doesn’t hear it. All around him he is assaulted by out of season smells, looking up at the green trees and the sudden cacophony of cries from what seems like millions of crows.

“Where the hell...” Derek whispers.

Stiles blinks, already relaxing, his muscles twitching from the stress and strain of his fright. He tilts his head to the side jauntily and smirks, “Welcome to the witch house, Derek. Kind of a letdown am I right?”

Derek drops Stiles, eliciting a yelp as he flails back up to his feet. Stiles gives him a shove and heads up the path towards the house.

“She’s got wolfsbane in the garden so be a bit aware of it ok? She musta let you in so don’t do your alpha thing and make her regret it ok?” Stiles tells him, walking backwards and trying to calm down. So much for Derek thinking Peter won’t leave the house!

Stiles takes the groceries inside, frowning that there is still food left in the cupboards, had she left? Is she not eating? What is going on it should all be gone. Speaking of gone, Non was nowhere to be seen and the bed didn’t look slept in.

“Non?” Stiles calls, “Non? It’s Stiles, Derek came too but you probably know that since you let him in.... Hello??”

Derek is looking at the house and making a face at how primitive and small it is. Stiles catches it and gives him a look, “I see that judgey face. At least this place is in one piece!”

The glower Derek levels on him makes Stiles throw up his hands, “I’m going to look in the garden. Wait here.”

Derek doesn't wait, he crowds up close to Stiles as he opens the back door. The view is shocking and completely different from before. The garden is gone, leveled out with branches laid out in a pattern like walls or a maze? In the middle Non is standing, her back to them, looking a complete fright as she bends and scrawls something in the dirt. What the hell was going on out there? Stiles takes a few careful steps to the nearest branch, looking inside the area it demarks and blinking at the signs and sigils inside. They fill the whole interior area in some way or shape, squiggles, sworls, strange symbols and figures. “Non?” Stiles calls softly.

Non doesn’t look up from what she is going, pacing around a little and muttering under her breath. Muddy smears all over her hands and arms, her knees and face bearing dirt too.

Stiles takes a careful step inside, trying to get her attention.

“Don’t step on the lines Cookie. Remember what I’ve told you...” Non says, distractedly.

“I’m not going to step on a line.” Stiles grumbles, waving Derek away as he tries to snatch Stiles back.

“You always say that and then you...” Non shakes her head and looks up, looking right at Stiles,   
“Wait. Stiles?” Her eyes flick up past him to Derek and they both see her tense up. “What the hell is he doing here!?”

“You let him in?” Stiles points out unsurely.

“I did NOT.” Non says firmly, the crows taking wing and their cries increasing. Stiles backs up, moving in front of Derek protectively.

“Well I don’t know how he got in then!” Stiles says, pushing back against Derek to force him inside, the birds starting to swoop at him.

“Did you pull him through?? Damnit Stiles!” Non says, motioning with her hands and almost falling over.

“I!! Well he caught me, I was falling? I didn’t pull....???” Stiles tells her, “Jesus have you eaten?”

Non rubs her forehead, “I... Yeah. I’ve been rationing. Neither of you should be here!”

Stiles turns and pushes Derek back towards the house, “Derek... Wait in side ok? I’m going to get her calmed down and bring her in for lunch.”

Derek grips Stiles’ arm, “I don't want you left alone with her, she doesn’t seem stable. And all those markings...”

Stiles grins, “I’ll be ok. But the Cookie thing is new. Hahaha go inside and sit. Ok?”

Derek does not like it, he goes inside but it’s to stand at the window and watch while Stiles approaches the witch, trying to tell himself that this all wasn’t a horrible idea.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything gets wrapped up more or less.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the end of this ride. I am glad to be finished because now I can focus on the other one I began. There's a bit of death in this one, if it bothers you don't continue. I try not to be very graphic in my descriptions of terrible things. But there is a lot of blood. Thank you so much for reading. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it since normally all I do is write dialogue and draw comics. ;)

Stiles glances over his shoulder at the cottage, Derek peering out the window adds the air or creepy that it usually lacks. It makes him snort a little in amusement before he has to focus on not stepping on or too near any of the symbols on the ground.

“Non, what is all this?” He asks curiously.

Non has sat on her heels and is rubbing her eyes tiredly. Through the wide stretched neck of her ratty blue sweater Stiles can see she’s not only skin and bones but scarred. He grimaces wondering what she’s seen, what she’s done. His trust twists in his stomach with his anxiety about it. Why does he trust her? Why is he so concerned. Problem at hand, he thinks, focus. Stiles reaches down and helps Non stand back up, shocked at how light she feels, too delicate to be a threat.

Non looks at his hand on her elbow. “It’s Hale house Stiles... It’s... It’s big. I needed to map out the work. I needed... I can’t just wing it. This is too important. One wrong spell mark... One wrong tie... I just can’t... I keep forgetting....” She looks pained and worried, rubbing her hands on her forehead, smearing herself with more dirt.

“You’re babbling, c’mon. When was the last time you ate and took a break? Had a bath?? You look like a mud pie.” Stiles cajoles her back to the house, guiding her inside and smiling at Derek appreciatively as he stands by the wood burning stove and is poking the fire back to life. Non jumps again when she sees him, almost like she’d forgotten he was there in the short time they’d been outside alone.

Derek eyes her warily, watching as Stiles sits her on the edge of the tub that is in the middle of the floor. There’s a tub in the middle of the floor. He shakes his head and sighs, Stiles elbowing him to the side and starting to heat up soup. 

“Make yourself useful Derek and prep some grilled cheese sandwiches.” Stiles grins at him, getting a towel and wetting it at the pump. He laughs at Derek’s expression when he sees the pump.

Non just sits quietly, letting Stiles cajole her into cleaning up while she stares a hole in Derek’s back. It’s unnerving for him, he keeps shifting his feet and rolling his shoulders like he could shrug off her gaze. Stiles stirs the soup merrily.

“So!” Stiles says brightly when the silence starts to get too awkward. “Derek, Non. Non, Derek. Non, he’s curious about the deal with his house and Peter. He’s sort of ready to listen about it?”

Derek rolls his eyes at Stiles, “As ready as anyone can be. Peter has been acting more erratic since you showed up.” He looks back at Non and bares his teeth, “I’m not sure if it is you or this fairy tale you’ve fed Stiles.”

Non scrubs at her hands, looking down, “I know it is instinct to believe it's me. But I promise you - it’s not. My magic doesn’t work that way. Besides, Peter has always loathed me on principle, how could I get close enough to him to force this change on him that makes him want to kill me? And I would have to get really close. This isn't Dungeons and Dragons, I can't stand on a hillside and affect anything.”

Derek purses his lips, digesting that. “So... If it’s not you, how can it be the house? I mean... It’s a house.” The look Derek cuts to Stiles makes Stiles have to swallow his grin. It does sound ludicrous.

“How do you feel when you’ve been out there a long time?” Non asks him, looking over at them tiredly. “Agitated? Tired? Upset? Does the fire feel fresher in your memories than it did when it happened? Do you feel like you can feel the heat? Hear the screams? Does everything seem duller when you’ve been there? Like the colors are leeched out of your sight? Like things taste duller?”

Stiles glances at Derek and he looks - stricken. “How can that...?” He whispers.

“What’s happened is the fire... What happened, and what keeps happening there, it woke it up. The whole of it is aware now. In ancient times mankind personified nature and elements. But it wasn’t personification. They had an understanding that got lost along the way. They do feel, just not necessarily how WE feel. It’s...” Non says, motioning to try and explain.

“It’s Pocahontas.” Stiles says brightly and smacks a hand into Derek’s chest. “Right?? It’s totally Paint with all the Colors of the Wind!”

“Stiles!” Derek rolls his eyes and just looks at him, exasperatedly. “Can you be serious?!”

“I AM SERIOUS! Or do you think the only people who are people are the people who look and think like you?” Stiles snipes back making Derek bristle.

Non is staring at them, baffled. “Cookie I can’t believe you still can sing that song....”

Stiles tilts his head at the endearment Cookie, “Cookie?”

Non coughs and stands, motioning them out of the way so she can wash up proper. “Anyway... It’s like that song... Which is simplistic but it hits the whole idea... So all that horror poisoned your house Derek Hale. And it is poisoning you. It’s undoing all the healing you did when you left. It... I’m pretty sure it killed your sister because it couldn’t turn her. You’re an Alpha now too right?”

Derek nods, looking suspicious.

Non relaxes, “It probably can’t turn you either. Alphas develop a sense of responsibility and stewardship for their charges... Was it bad when you turned? I mean... When you assumed the Alpha spot? It’s not often someone becomes an Alpha and are all alone....”

Derek shuffles, “It wasn’t easy. But better me than McCall... I do feel more settled.”

Non nods, “I’m glad. Are they who you would have chosen? You know - in an ideal situation?”

Derek takes a deep breath, these are some extremely pointed questions, ones he’s not sure he wants to think about the answers to, let alone share. “Maybe not, but life isn’t an ideal situation.”

“Wow. Really Debbie Downer?” Stiles asks, pushing Derek to the side and starting to grill the sandwiches. “So Non, the whole deal out there... What are you trying to do?”

“I’m going to fix the house, well... Cleanse it anyway. Not rebuild... I’m not that great.” Non shrugs. “It’s complicated because there’s the primary incident, then all these secondary and tertiary events... And there’s Peter.”

“Oh well you can just kill Peter.” Stiles says seriously and yelps when Derek smacks him in the back of the head.

“He’s still my uncle!” Derek insists and sighs, “And....”

“And he’s your family. Don’t sweat it. I planned on Peter too... I just think - no, I know I am going to need help with this.” Non says. “Maybe from both of you?” She grimaces but looks at them hopefully.

Derek narrows his eyes at her, it was one thing to promise Stiles he just wanted to come and listen, it's another to be asked to help. Non meets his eyes and crumples slightly, nodding at the refusal she sees there. "Derek, thank you for at least hearing me out. I'm... Jesus, you'll never know how sorry I am what happened to you happened. Whatever was between your family and me I still took my guardianship of this area seriously."

"This is our territory, Hale territory." Derek said tersely, folding his arms. "This was my... Responsibility." He sighs, the guilt he still feels somehow feeling lesser but it's a fire he feeds everyday. 

Non shakes her head no. "I know you won't believe me but you're really off base on that. My family settled here after fleeing a bad situation in New England back in the 1690's. Beacon Hills is the name the settlers who came and joined them gave the area because at night they could see the guardian lights atop the hills around us. It's just this house now... Your family used to be another until a few generations ago..."

Derek still felt tense all over, "Anyone can start spouting dates, lies are made plausible by details."

"Truth can be verified by them too." Non says, throwing her hands up. "I just want to make this right by you Derek. If it makes you feel better it's not even the majority of why I am so serious about it - I have people here I will protect from this threat no matter what. And what's happened to your house will get worse and worse until they end up dead." Non glances at Stiles' back and Derek glares at her, he hasn't heard any change in her heart rate at all, but Peter had said witches lie so easily it's the same as truth to them.

"Who is Stiles to you?" Derek growls.

Stiles who hasn't been oblivious to the whole conversation while he worked on the food is now really paying attention.

Non smirks, "A short order cook." She wasn't lying but that was a blatant deferment of his question.

"HEY!!" Stiles says, glaring over his shoulder, "You know I can stop being nice to both of you at any moment. I don't have to put up with your crap!"

Non smiled at Stiles fondly. "Too late kid, you're so bewitched now you have no choice."

Stiles snorted and Derek, well Derek felt awkward. Somehow this witch, this outsider, had an ease with Stiles that had taken him a long time to build. Despite everything there was an ease between them and it made him bristle. He stood up from his carefully faked lean and gripped her elbow, shoving her towards the front door. The witch jolted in surprise at the sudden contact that went from rough to gentle when Derek felt just how insubstantial the woman was.

"We'll be right back, Stiles - Stay!" Derek said firmly before slamming the front door behind them. Stiles stared at Non's bewildered but unafraid face through the door because slamming it had just made it bounce open to Derek's disgust. "And people say I live in shitholes." Derek grumbled and gently manhandled Non further down the path out of sight.

Derek stopped and let go of Non who looked bemused and curious instead of intimidated. "What are you to Stiles? Out of the whole town you zeroed in on him - why?"

Non smoothed out her expression to one of cool indifference, "He's a special guy, what can I say?"

"I suggest the truth, Stiles doesn't trust easily, but you... He even ran away from Scott with you. It's not..." Derek clenches his teeth over the word normal.

"... I'm going to trust you Derek, your family was...." Non wilts over the past tense a little and not for the first time Derek wonders at this apparent depth of emotion but Non recovered and continued. "You're good people. But if I tell you, you have to agree to play a part in this."

Derek balks, "I won't be a part of..."

"Nullum gratuitous prandium, there is no free lunch. Agree or my lips are sealed." Non says looking up at him with a smirk.

"Fine!!" Derek snarled, this was only marginally better than dealing with goddamned Peter.

Non nodded, "Good. I really needed you because if this... Anyway, I want to be sure you'll be there for Stiles afterwards."

Derek shakes his head disbelievingly, "You really care..."

"Of course I do. And this is between you, me, and the mulberry bush here Derek - I care because Stiles is my godson." Non says offhandedly. 

Derek stares at her, "So his mother...?"

"Was the wife of my best friend." Non nods.

"You and the Sheriff?!?" Derek exclaims before being shushed by Non. "But he arrested you!" Derek hissed, "If you were that close he'd've recognized you!! Both of them would have!" He can feel himself starting to shift at the audacity of her lies.

Non holds up her hands, "Let me finish. This whole mess is a product of my own hubris."

Derek calms himself with an effort and Non continues. "Why I'm here, is well... God this is such a mess. My amulet is my focus stone, taps me into my power sink here, blah blah blah witch stuff you don't need to know - except having one of these is super useful and super dangerous. Another witch could take it and there goes your link to your power - you follow? So I thought I'd be a complete genius and put a curse on mine, if anyone took it anyone, magically inclined or not, could touch blood to it and curse the wearer."

"And you just wore that around your neck?" Derek asked, leaning away as if he'd catch the curse like the flu.

"Yeah... Hubris remember? Anyway... Stiles' parents were my best friends, Stiles... Man I used to babysit him all the time and be included in family stuff... It... My life was better than I ever thought it'd be. Anyway... Fast forward to Stiles' mom getting sick... And I... Well it's not like I was... Anyway I was going to trade, a fair trade, me for her. It would balance out and she was the one they really needed. But I'm not stupid enough to think I'm nobody to them so... So I made e a nobody to them. I erased me from their memories, their thoughts, everywhere. But, she... Stiles' mom..."

Non is visibly struggling to get this all out, Derek can feel himself tensed all over in reaction to what she is saying.

"His mom was wise to it... She'd asked them where I was and of course they didn't know me anymore. Then when I showed up saying I wanted to try something to make her feel better... She called me close and grabbed my amulet, cutting her thumb on it and..."

"And she cursed you." Derek whispers when the tears had begun to overflow for Non and choke her.

"Yeah... Because I'd stupidly told her about it thinking they'd never believe it! She cursed me to WANDER!" Non sobbed, "She couldn't know all my talk of seeing the world was just babble because for me to leave HERE was a death sentence... She thought since I believed I'd take her seriously and... And nothing good came out of any of it!! If she was going to die I should have been HERE. So they wouldn't have to struggle so much! So they wouldn't be alone... But they...." Non gasped and swallowed her upset feelings, tucking them away before they got out so far she'd have to let them go and Derek understood that, he knew that feeling real well.

"So." Non says, sounding more normal after a moment to collect herself."That's why Stiles and the Sheriff react to me favorably, they know me by heart... Even if I made their heads forget."

Derek nods slowly, "Why not tell th-"

"No." Non interrupts him firmly, "You do not tell either of them. No."

Derek stares at her a long while then nods his agreement, "I want to ask why."

"What has to be done now is no joke. The situation is as bad as it can be and... And... Right now I'm just someone interesting who wants to spend time with Stiles. He's lonely, Stilinskis aren't good with lonely. They've got these great big hearts and they open up for only a very lucky few because losing people destroys them... Stiles trusts you a lot or you wouldn't've been pulled in here with him, you're family to him. Even with the spelled hood I gave him all of you could see him because he's let you guts into his heart. So I'm telling you all this because whatever happens with that house I won't be around anymore and you all'd better take good care of him!"

Derek's eyebrows are up and he nods, holding up a hand to forestall whatever Non was planning to say next, "Stiles, you're not sneaky." He yells back towards the house. 

Faintly they both hear Stiles yelp, "Damnit! Lunch is ready!!"

"Thank you." Derek says quietly and follows Non back up to the house.

\+ + +

A week later, Stiles sat staring at Non and wondering how he ended up agreeing to help with such a complicated part of this elaborate plan of Non's.

"I just don't see why it has to be a maze of mountain ask, Non. Why don't I just ring the house and keep everybody out?" Stiles groans.

"Because," The witch smiled at him fondly, "I need Peter inside with me but he can't get there so fast that I can't finish the spell."

"Right, right, because he's part of the house..."

"And that means I need him inside." Non agrees.

"But what makes you think he'd just come rushing right to you?" Stiles asks, mulling it over even as he asks the question. "Peter's a really smart guy, well... Cunning. This makes him seem... Dumb."

Non smiles. "I'm counting on the house influence, it'll be panicking once I'm inside. Like someone with a wasp on them - see?"

Stiles sits up and sighs, "Are we seriously doing this tomorrow?"

Non nods and pets his head, "Yeah kid... Derek is already getting Peter out away from the house chasing the idea I am on the move... So as soon as you think you have the maze pattern down we'll go get started."

Stiles looked at his hands a while and sighed, "I've got it down, I just... I don't want this to stop."

Non touched his shoulder and sighed, "Nothing ever really stops you know, it just continues on Ina new way."

Stiles snorts, "What, no Latin credo this time?"

"I got one if you want one." Non chuckles dryly.

"Hit me, then I'll go make your little maze." Stiles grins in challenge.

"Ut sit magna, tamen certe lenta ira deorum est." Non grins at him.

"Which means....?"

"The wrath of the Gods may be great, but it is certainly slow." Non winks at him.

Stiles groans and throws up his hands, "I would've been happy with 'Veni, vidi, vici.' Or really anything sensible. Are you sure I can't drive you over there?"

Non nods' I can't hold onto everything if I'm in a car. I've got to stay on the ground. I'll make it there by false dawn, I promise. Be safe Stiles Stilinski."

Stiles laughed a bit at his full name, "Uh sure, you too Non I'mSorryIDidn'tCatchYourName."

Non laughs and shoos him on his way. Once Stiles is gone Non strips off her coat and shoes, putting her hood up. Next she sliced her upper arms and rubbed the blood down her arms and over her hands, leaving her skin red but the faint scarred symbols glowing with violent life. Smearing the soles of her feet she walks to the center of the cottage and clapping her hands once begins to drain all the stored power from her home.

Outside the crows took up a cacophonous chorus of cries. Leaves began sifting down as the spring that had reigned in the small oasis faded and it reconnected with the world outside. When it was done, Non began her slow walk to the Hale house, her own resealed behind her.

\+ + +

Despite everything the witch had explained to him, Derek still had a lot of doubts about what was going to happen. He'd been surprised, sure, when Peter had insisted they head for Sacramento when he'd told him Stiles said the witch was going there for supplies. And he'd been surprised when Peter insisted they spend the night and find her because she would always pose a threat. But in the early hours of the morning when the sun had barely started to stain the sky orange, Peter shot to his feet and turned on him snarling, and Derek believed. He braced himself for Peter to attack but instead his uncle shifted and ran, headed straight for Beacon Hills.

\+ + +

Stiles had finished the maze pattern hours ago and sat on his heels, blowing on his hands to warm them when he felt an odd prickly sensation on his skin. The sky had been rumbling with deep chested thunder for a while now, it wasn't like it was out of season for it but usually it would have just given in and rained by now. The clouds overheard were dark but the sky was brightening into dawn quickly. Stiles felt his spine seem to expand in fear the moment Non stepped barefoot through the trees. She was an awful sight, still so thin and frail looking but now there was an otherworldly weight to her; thunder rolled over him again and he couldn't hear them, but he could see the horde of crows settling into the trees around the house, the forest taking on the appearance of lush black leaves.

Non paused when she reached him, smiling. "I see you came prepared." She nodded to his hand where he clenched the wood knuckles she'd given him.

"You know I do have some sense of self preservation." Stiles grinned, trying not to notice her arms were covered in blood up past her elbows, "And Peter wants me dead almost as much as he does you."

"I wish this hadn't happened Stiles, but... I'm glad you were here." Non says softly, thunder almost drowning her out. "Keep being you. And stop lying to your dad. He's a tough cookie too - he'll handle it."

Stiles looks doubtful but Non is already stepping past him, careful not to disturb the lines of mountain ash as she approaches the house and with her bone chalk, begins to draw her first sigil.

\+ + +

The power, metallic tasting at the back of her teeth, thrummed as Non worked her way through the house. Each mark, every placement, all her careful planning and memorization leading her through the house, room by room, the marks flowing over fire scarred wood. All the power she had trembled in her bones, the sky was roiling, angry and disturbed, not unlike the feeling in her heart. All around her she felt the presence of the house twisting, if it was older it would be striking her but it was still learning. The second floor was going well, half of it was gone but it let her catch glimpses of Stiles. He was looking up at her so she jolted slightly when Peter suddenly appeared, running for Stiles. Her mouth open as the crows roosting there began to scream loudly, taking to wing and startling Stiles into looking. But Non can't stop, she can't go help. So instead she trusts Stiles to do what he can and bends back to her task. 

\+ + +

Stiles chewed his lip in worry as he watched Non move across the second floor. He shivered slightly as thunder rumbled again, his skin prickly with the heavy feeling of the impending storm. When the crows behind him suddenly began cawing and taking to the air, he jumped. Stiles whirled around just in time to see the snarling face of Peter as he leapt at him, clawed hands reaching. His own inarticulate scream was as involuntary as swinging his hand up to hit Peter and stop him. The back of Stiles' mind gibbering that he's going to break his hand and this was useless, but he had to believe in the ring bracing of wood on his hand as he landed the punch. Clenching his teeth on the tail end of his scream and following through, Stiles felt his hand connect, he felt his weight behind it. The result was much more than anyone could have expected. Just like he'd been told, Stiles watched the knuckles reflect the killing intent of Peter into the force of his punch. With a sickening crunch of bone, Peter's head stopped coming and his body whipped forward as he was launched backwards to fly a good twenty foot away into a tree that literally shattered as he hit it. The crows roosting there took to the skies cawing. 

"Oh my god!" Stiles gaped, looking at his hand which didn't hurt, "That. Was. AWESOME!!!" He fist pumped and ran for the front of he house, hearing a car and hoping it was someone friendly because Peter was already sitting back up.

\+ + +

Derek had barely remembered to put his car in park, getting out and staring up at his house. The dark sky above it was distressing enough, the clouds low and seeming to hitch and move against each other, thunder rumbling as if their motion was causing friction for it. Below it his house seemed to shiver, strange echoing pulses of something and an uncomfortable tingling in his bones hat made him want to run away. It was a testament to Derek's distraction that he didn't notice Stiles until he was gripping his arm and shoving himself against the car. Derek looked at him startled for a moment before his uncle's growl made him bristle and turn to face him, placing himself more fully in front of Stiles as he bared his teeth protectively.

Derek and Peter stood that way for a long moment, both snarling when the house seemed to spasm, Peter's attention ripped away from the two by the Camaro and focused instead on the one inside. With a snarl Peter leapt for the house, tracing the edge of the mountain ash until he found the break in it and began to hurry into the maze of it. For a long moment Derek could only watch Peter try and backtrack various routes, 

"Stiles, did you do that?" Derek asked, Stiles creeping to stand beside him and watch.

"Yeah, it took me all night."

"...Do you think we've done the right thing?"

"I don't know..." Stiles said honestly. "But I believe so..."

Stiles starts moving around the side of the house, going back to where he could see Non again. Derek eyed the shattered remains of the tree as he followed him, able to see Non too, her hood having fallen back, her hair standing on end and moving as if she were underwater. Doubt shivered its way through Derek; he clasped a hand on Stiles to steady them both.

\+ + +

Non had barely finished the final symbol, etching the line with the last of the chalk made of her grandmother, her fingers numb and aching from the dry dust of her work. Her power, like bile, roiling in her throat as he heard Peter's triumphant growl as he finally achieved the front door of the house. She doesn't even hear him on the stairs, he must have leapt up because suddenly he's there, snarling and advancing on her.

Outside the crows erupt into the air, swirling around the house, a cacophony only drowned out by the low thunder. Peter laughs, his base nature unable not to taunt.

"I made it in time to stop you." Peter snickers, stepping slowly towards her, "All of this and I. Win!"

Non just waits, holding her ground over the empty circle at her feet. Peter lunges forward and Non feels his clawed hand sink deep into her stomach, he twists his wrist and in the agony she grips his elbow hard holding him there. Non inhales and geeks a gurgle in her lungs, coughing up blood but smiling up at him through clenched teeth. "Thanks Peter. I couldn't've done this to myself."

Peter's face would have made her laugh under any other circumstance. Shock, horror, then blind panic as he tried to yank away only to find her firmly rooted and her grip strong. "No!" He protests but Non hears only the house speaking through him.

With a blindly reaching hand, Non yanks Peter's shirt open, exposing his chest as he tries to twist away. Her fingers, nimble and coated in her own blood draw a deft series of symbols that burn and sink I to him as he howls in rage, the house shuddering in reflection of it. Non lets him go then, Peter falling to the floor trembling.

Now the real work begins, Non thinks distantly, looking down at the blood rapidly draining from her, pooling up on the floor and activating the spell she'd inscribed throughout the house, bringing it to life. Head bowed, knees locked, already it was in motion, forcing itself through her as her head fell back and from her open mouth came not words but a single, loud, pure tone like a bell ringing.

\+ + +

Stiles had screamed when Peter sunk his claws deep into Non's body. His first reaction was to run and help but Derek had such a tight grip on him all he could do was hit at him uselessly and try and wiggle free. 

"Let me go, Derek!! LET ME GO!!" Stiles pleaded with him, but Derek held him tight. Stiles hadn't noticed it over his instant reaction to go help someone he valued but he did. Something was building, the air felt thick and syrupy in his lungs and his bones were buzzing under his skin. So Derek did what he could o, he held on tightly and watched as the witch scrawled something on Peter's chest and he seized up, falling at her feet. He almost thought that was the end of it until she opened her mouth and the sound pealed from her.

Stiles stopped struggling, in fact everything seemed to have stopped, that tone reverberating still, filling their ears until it felt like it was going to drive them mad. The crows on the wing hung suspended in air but they were filling with light, casting stark shadows across the house that seemed to crawl and swirl with a life of their own. Stiles stared, pressed back against Derek, or so he thought, because he couldn't feel anything. He couldn't hear anything, that tone! That sound!! It felt like he was losing his mind, like he couldn't breathe, as if it had filled up everything.

Derek blinked, he thought he blinked, maybe he couldn't and that's why the birds had become so bright, their forms elongating into points, needles of light so bright it made the shadows in the house quiver. His mouth tasted like blood, sharp and metallic, and the sound kept filling everything up. Beside him he thought maybe Stiles was screaming still, he didn't know, but this moment seemed to be lasting longer and longer and he felt blinded by it.

The sudden shock of the end of the tone was jarring, the needles of light that once were Non's flock of crows snapped forward, stabbing into the house. Time for Stiles and Derek seemed to move too fast as things suddenly moved normally then froze once more after impact, a second tone pealing forth from the witch inside. Derek felt the force if it impact himself and Stiles, both knocked back off their feet, but it was slow, bodies recoiling and e tending backwards as the house shimmered. Distantly through the second tone, Derek could hear a faint cracking, like the sound of ice forming. Light fought with dark on the surface of the house, the ashen dark skeleton of burnt wood icing over with glittering light, slowly.

The tone ended and Stiles fell atop Derek in the dirt, shoved aside as they looked up at the house. It seemed to move, twisting and warping. Ghost images flickered in and out like hallucinations, weak like wet watercolors, images of the house whole, the house burning, the house screaming. Stiles covered his ears uselessly as the third tone pulsed out. Inside the house Derek could make out the witch, arms flung out, head thrown back, so ablaze with light his eyes watered. With this tone came colors, rippling through air too thick for their lungs, a shimmering curtain of color like the aurora borealis flared through the sky. Stiles tried to stand but he felt weak, wrung out just from the act of watching, just being there, arms and legs tangled with Derek. Neither of them could look away. The colors seemed to stretch and Stiles inhaled a gasp of air as something snapped.

Somewhere in Derek and Stiles' eats the tone reverberated, softly like putting a seashell to your ear. They looked at one another, the colors of everything but themselves weak and watery compared to their own vibrancy.

"What happened?" Stiles asked, just because he had to.

Derek winced with him at the sound of it, Stiles' voice seemed too loud. The brittleness of the sounds they made standing up sending a shudder through them both. Before them the house was whole, the door opened and spilling out the door were a gaggle of laughing children and adults, their voices echoing and stretched. Stiles could pick out a younger Derek, god!! He looked 13!! He glanced at the man beside him then away quickly when he saw tears and anger in Derek's eyes. Derek watched himself and his family head around the house, obviously going on a picnic like they had so often and he wanted to scream, he wanted to yell a warning of what was to come but the rumble of the tone was swelling and filling up all the space inside him until he couldn't. Derek whimpered, and it was so loud surely someone heard, he grunted, trying to scream but he just couldn't. Not even when his younger self turned and seemed to look right at them.

Between one blink and the next they were back from wherever that was, overlaid with the tone was a sound that dropped Stiles to his knees, a scream. Derek staggered against him and it took everything Stiles had not to just fold in on himself and pass out. The colors snapped again and in the dark silence that followed they looked up at the burning Hale house, flames colored by accelerant, hands clawing against a mountain ash circle, screams so loud it shocked them both to tears. Stiles hadn't noticed he was screaming too until Derek gripped his shoulder hard and he choked it off with a gasp. The pain in Derek's eyes sent a stab of pure fury right into Stiles' stomach. Then everything was sharply replaced by the remains and the crystalline light that seemed to blaze within every board, every inch of the house. InsideNon was a pillar of light, the air so ablaze with power Stiles' teeth ached and he was grateful to be on his knees as he tried to breathe in.

Light pulsed out from within the house, rippling out over Stiles and Derek, driving the air from their lungs like an underwater explosion. Derek opened his eyes and they were elsewhere? else when? again. The house was whole but the colors, all his senses seemed too sharp, too much.

"I feel like I'm tasting colors, Derek." Stiles groaned.

Across from them a police cruiser was pulling up to the front of the house which was... Different. They both braced for the Sheriff but who got out instead was...

"Holy shit is that me?" Stiles asked, his voice sounding muffled to him.

"Shut up..." Derek said, seeing himself, older, coming out to meet him.

Distant Derek shook Deputy??? Stiles' hand and they couldn't make out the words, the roar of the tone was washing them away again but Derek swears that Stiles looked right at him and waved.

The flare of light and the reverberation of the sound rocked them back into reality again with the sensation like they'd tripped over something. The house before them was a pure white silhouette that left negative images of it dancing even in Derek's vision. Stiles threw his hands in front of his face and suddenly everything went dark. For Stiles it was darker than dark, after images of the house dancing as he looked around wildly and scrambled to his feet only to fall again.

In the silence that followed whatever the witch's spell had do e everything seemed to hurt for Derek. His eyes adjusted slowly, his skin seemed to hurt, and every bone and joint ached. The first cold drop of rain to hit him startled a pained gasp from him. Stiles was staggering for the house blindly and Derek moved to help him.

"The mountain ash." Derek reminded him when he hit the edge of it, holding the back of Stiles' shirt as he broke it.

"Never again..." Stiles whispered as he did, and he meant it savagely. Seeing the house burn, knowing what had held them inside... Stiles felt sick.

Before Derek could haul him back to his feet they both jumped at the mournful, lost wail from inside the house. It was a male voice, Peter was still alive. Derek left Stiles, hurting inside and upstairs to where his uncle lay, the rain starting to patter down on them all through the missing half of the roof, but it chimed and hissed as it struck the house, an aftereffect of the spell. Derek crouched by his uncle who was curled up on himself weeping, his body shaken by strangled sobs that didn't still when Derek touched him.

"Laura..." Peter sobbed, "I didn't... I... Laura..." 

Derek could taste the guilt, the grief, the regret. He tried to pull Peter upright, his vision brightening as the shock of it faded, almost as if the rain was rinsing it from him. Stiles' footsteps were loud and careful as he approached, almost as if he was afraid the whole house would fall in.

Stiles sidestepped them. Derek looked up and managed a half smile.

"Where's Non? Stiles asked, daring a smile of relief. "Did she say it worked?"

Derek looked to the side and Non was sprawled in the center of the circle she'd drawn last, looking like a broken doll. Stiles followed Derek's gaze and met the empty lifeless eyes of Non.

"No!!!" Stiles shrieked, scrambling to her side, grasping too thin shoulders and shaking so hard her head lolled, "NO!!!" Stiles didn't even realize he was crying, no one would he hoped as the rain poured down on all of them, washing away the magic and the blood. The cold that seeped into the spring rain numbing Stiles even as Derek pulled him away and into a hug.

\+ + +

If Stiles was quiet that day no one would judge him on it. He'd driven home, unable to cope with what had happened, that he'd lost a friend, that everything seemed to have worked. He didn't want to think about the state Peter was left in, how fragile and unlike the man he hated he'd become. Stiles was not going to think about how he and Derek were able to share their grief now. Alone in his own, Stiles buried his face in his pillows and wondered what he could have done differently. When he felt ready, Derek said they could decide how to dispose of her body.

Hours must have passed because his dad leaned in the door. "Hey kid, mail for you." He tossed down a large envelope that Stiles barely glanced at until his brain pointed out there was a reason to sit up. On the front of it was scrawled several of Non's symbols. Stiles traced a finger over them a moment before tearing it open, two letters on thick white vellum and sealed with wax impressed with a symbol fell into his lap. One tidily written to Stiles, and the other addressed to Derek.

\+ + +

Derek had left Peter sleeping at the train depot and come back to the house to deal with the body. He'd told Stiles they'd deal with it when he was ready but he knew Stiles. Stiles was probably compartmentalizing it right now so he could ignore it. Derek understood that about him it's how he survived all this shit. Hell it was how HE survived all this shit. So while Stiles ignored it he would deal with the problem and make it go away. The rain had stopped but that wasn't why the air felt fresher to Derek as he walked up the front steps of the house. It was as if everything had changed. Before he'd always felt like the house was pressing down on him, it had made it hard to breathe some days but he'd also felt like he'd die if he left. Guilty and hunted, two feelings that had sat on him in this house til he was ready to claw his chest out to escape it. It was gone now. He could feel it like he had worn weights all this time and finally took them off. It was an almost unbearable lightness in his soul. Whatever she'd done, the witch had accomplished something.

Derek had barely taken two steps up towards the second floor when he caught the sound of Stiles' jeep approaching. It was startling, unexpected. Really, Derek didn't want Stiles out here for this. He didn't want to see him for a long time, at least not until they could both pretend they hadn't experienced three horrible visions together that Derek would much rather not think about for a while. He walked back out front and met Stiles on the porch, both of them unhappy to be together here again so soon.

"Why are-" Derek began but Stiles cut him off, brandishing a letter at him.

"She sent us letters." Stiles stated sharply, pressing the one for Derek into his chest so he had to take it. "I read mine. It was short. You gotta push some of your blood into the seal to open it."

Derek stared at him then down at the letter, yeah that was his name on it. He didn't want to open it at all.

"Well?" Stiles prompted him and Derek shifted worriedly. "I'm going to know what it says!" 

Derek grimaced at the loom in Stiles' eyes, the tears he'd obviously swallowed, the self accusations that hid in his eyes. With a nod Derek used a claw to scratch himself, pressing the blood into the wax seal that released itself with a faint tch of sound. Swallowing hard, Stiles stepped up to read over his shoulder.

 

_Derek~_  
 _If you're reading this things went well about like I expected them to. Don't let Stiles read any part of this, it's going to be hard enough on him. Don't let him think he could have done anything different. Even I couldn't. This job was just too big for me and demanded everything I had but, it'll be alright now. The spirit of the house is cleansed, you can bulldoze the thing and rebuild or restore - whatever you want to do. It's locked into the land now more than the house. Don't let Peter ever come back here though. He's always going to be too tainted and it'll unhinge him to be here. Blah blah resonance and long explanation, just keep him away - he'll heal as well as can be expected.  
Thing is, I still owe you a debt for what happened here, so I worked a small bit of extra magic. I need you to take my body an bury it as deep as you can near the house, I've drawn a diagram of how you need to lay me out. Don't let Stiles hang around for any of it. He is so much like his dad, you have to watch Stilinskis carefully or they'll destroy themselves trying to take care of you and killing themselves if they can't. But it's a great thing about them so you're lucky you were chosen. Be good to him and remember - bury me deep. I'll be watching your backs and yes, that is as creepy as it sounds._

Derek looked at Stiles when he finished and Stiles snatched it from his hands. When he reached for it Stiles sniffles and clutched it tightly, "Don't try and tell me I can't read it it's too late!!" He snarled out around a choking sob.

"So all that time she knew?? She knew this would kill her?" Stiles whimpered, the paper crumpling loudly.

"Looks that way." Derek sighed. 

When Stiles abruptly sat, Derek joined him, letting the younger man rage and curse his way through his grief while inside himself he was overcome by a terrible and growing feeling of hope.

\+ + +

 

**EPILOGUE**

Stiles pulled up to the rebuilt Hale house, a bit too early for the barbecue, but he was still on duty anyway. He stepped out of the cruiser and straightened his deputy's uniform out as Derek walked down the porch steps to greet him. 

"If you're out here to tell me I'm being called in to work you can go to hell." Derek said, shaking Stiles' hand almost sarcastically. 

Stiles rolled his eyes and grinned, "C'mon Sheriff, like I've ever done that."

"You just did it last week!"

"It's not my fault all the ladies would rather see the Sheriff Who Won On Look Alone over me. I was the one giving the personal safety lecture but it's you they show up for."

Derek snorted and Stiles just laughed.

"Ok Deputy Dickhead," Derek teased him, "What brings you out here to disturb my preparations for the cookout?

Stiles looked at him and looked up at the house and beyond it. "I dunno... Today just felt like maybe it was that day."

Derek got a chill as Stiles looked past the corner of the house behind it and raised his arm to wave. After a minute he forced Stiles' arm down. 

"Asshole!" Derek said and headed for the front door, pausing to point at him. "Don't forget to pick up your dad and the kegs in that shitbox of a jeep when you get off duty."

Stiles just laughed and gave him a jaunty salute, sliding back into his squad car. And if the house and the presence that lived in the woods now watched them and smiled, they'd both pretend not to notice.


End file.
